Performing and Creative Arts

The Billy Rose Theatre Division of The New York Public Library is one of the largest and most comprehensive archives devoted to the theatrical arts. Encompassing dramatic performance in all its diversity, the division is an indispensable resource for artists, writers, researchers, scholars, students, and the general public.

Purchase and license scripts of thousands of plays in the English-speaking theatre. Site includes brief plot summaries and author biographies.

Provides records of Broadway theatre productions from the beginnings of New York theatre until today. Includes information about shows, performers, songs, and theaters.

Full text of Shakespeare's plays and poems.

This "Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV, and Film" includes a detailed history of musical theatre, photo gallery, biographies, and many performance reviews and essays.

Guide to performing arts resources at the Library of Congress including scores, sheet music, audio recordings, films, photographs, and other materials. Users can find digitized items from the collections; articles and biographical essays; finding aids to collections; databases for performing arts resources; and a guide to other library collections, websites, databases and exhibits.

Search the largest Broadway database online

Commercial catalog of play scripts available for purchase. Users can search by specific criteria (theme, casting, genre, setting, etc.), read script samples, and buy scripts and performance rights online.

Offers an extensive list of links on technical information for producing a play. Topics include lighting, make-up, costume, rigging, marketing, and more.