Thinking Outside of Theatre
If your topic crosses multiple subject areas or if you want to get a broader context for your topic beyond theatre, consider exploring a non-theatre-specific database. The University of Illinois subscribes to hundreds of databases, so it can be hard to know where to start. Here are a few suggestions for getting started:
- Filter the Library's Databases A-Z list by subject to see what databases we have available in other subject areas. Start with the Best Bets section as those databases have been selected by subject specialists as good places to start your research.
- Go directly to a departmental library's homepage to see what databases and resources they recommend.
- Reach out to a Subject Specialist by email or set up a research consultation.
- Check out our recommended resources below!
What's an Interdisciplinary Topic?
Still not sure when to look beyond your discipline? Here's an example to help you think through when your research might benefit from interdisciplinary sources. Let's say you are interested in Native American theatremaking. In addition to plays by Indigenous playwrights, what resources should you consult?
- If the plays you are studying are about historical topics, it might be helpful to consult American history databases or general multidisciplinary humanities databases to develop a better understanding for a play's social and historical context.
- Newspaper databases, particularly those focusing on alternative, ethnic, and minority presses like Ethnic NewsWatch might be helpful.
- You might also consult general newspaper databases if you are looking for play reviews.
- Maybe you'll want to look at popular sources like magazines to find interviews with playwrights about their work.
Whatever your topic, try casting a wide net and exploring how different perspectives from multiple academic disciplines might enrich your research.
Humanities and Social Sciences
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JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Provides page images of back issues of the core scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and basic sciences from the earliest issues to within a few years of current publication. Users may browse by journal title or discipline, or may search the full-text or citations/abstracts. New issues of existing titles and new titles are added approximately on a weekly basis. The University of Illinois has access to the following JSTOR collections: Arts & Sciences I-XV, 19th Century British Pamphlets, Business IV, Global Plants, Hebrew Journals, Ireland, Life Sciences Collection, Lives of Literature, Security Studies, Struggles for Freedom - South Africa, Sustainability, and World Heritage Sites - Africa.
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Project Muse This link opens in a new windowFull-text articles from more than 200 scholarly journals in history and the humanities, the social sciences, and the sciences. Disciplines covered include literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, gender studies, economics, and many others. A brief bibliographic description of each title is given. Searches can be conducted across the full text of all journals in the database.
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ERIC - EBSCO This link opens in a new windowContains articles and resources focusing on education research, theory, and practice.
Coverage: 1966 to present -
GenderWatch This link opens in a new windowContains full text access to scholarly and popular publications focusing on the impact of gender across many subject areas.
Coverage: 1970 to present -
Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new windowIncluded are journals, magazines, and newspapers from ethnic and minority presses. The current collection, Ethnic NewsWatch™, covers 1990-present, and the historical collection, Ethnic NewsWatch: A History™, spans 1959-1989. Ethnicities include: African American/Caribbean/African; Arab/Middle Eastern; Asian/Pacific Islander; European/Eastern European; Hispanic; Jewish; Native People.
Scenic and Costume Design
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Design and Applied Arts Index (DAAI) This link opens in a new windowDesign and applied arts index (DAAI) is the leading source of abstracts and bibliographic records for articles, news items, and reviews published in design and applied arts periodicals from 1973 onwards. An indispensable tool for students, researchers, and practitioners worldwide, DAAI covers both new designers and the development of design and the applied arts since the mid-19th century, surveying disciplines including ceramics, glass, jewelry, wood, metalsmithing, graphic design, fashion and clothing, textiles, furniture, interior design, architecture, computer aided design, Web design, computer-generated graphics, animation, product design, industrial design, garden design, and landscape architecture.
Historical Coverage
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Victorian Popular Culture This link opens in a new windowContains full-text, full-color reproductions of books, ephemera, handbills, pamphlets, photos, posters, programs, scripts, and other materials for the study of popular entertainment in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection consists of four components: Spiritualism, Sensation, and Magic; Circuses, Sideshows, and Freaks; Music Hall, Theatre, and Popular Entertainment; and moving pictures, optical entertainments, and the advent of cinema.
Coverage: 1779 to 1930; most extensive for Great Britain, but also contains materials from the U.S. -
Periodicals Index Online This link opens in a new windowIndexes millions of articles across the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Although the majority of indexed periodicals are in English, the database is international in scope with titles in more than 60 languages. Extensive interdisciplinary coverage.
Coverage: 1665 to 1995