Keywords

Think about words that describe your topic and the variations of that word as well as performers and theatrical groups that are involved in the theatrical genre you are studying. Boundaries are not clear-cut between styles and some artists cross genres, working not only in traditional theatre, but experimental settings. This can give you great angles for your research, but can also make it hard to stay focused on a small enough topic for a paper.

Encyclopedias

Encyclopedias are a good place to start your research. They can help you identify a topic for your paper, and often include useful bibliographies.

The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre
REFERENCE PN 1861 .W67
This is one of the premier encyclopedic resources on theatre. If you don't look at anything else, look at this.

Cambridge Guide to American Theatre
REFERENCE PN 2221 .C36 1996

The Cambridge Guide to Theatre
REFERENCE  PN2035 .C27 1995   

Notable Women in the American Theatre: A Biographical Dictionary
REFERENCE  PN2285 .N65 1989 

Theatrical Directors: A Biographical Dictionary
REFERENCE PN2205 .T54 1994

Useful Subject Terms (sample)

• Monologues
• Rap (Music) (used for modern monologues set to music)
• Theater--Encyclopedias
• Women In The Theater
• Feminism And Theater

Internet Sources

Performing Arts Encyclopedia (Library of Congress)
Providing links to digitized collections and exhibits as well as bibliographies to lead to more. Both searchable and browseable to find the rich variety of resources.

Educational Theatre Association
Directed towards the theatre instructor in K-12, useful links for anyone interested in theatre are included.

Non-Binary Monologues

A database of monologues for non-binary actors