QMULibGuides: Drama, Theatre & Performing Arts: Databases

Recommended Databases

Bloomsbury and Faber Screenplays and Criticism This link opens in a new window
This resource from Bloomsbury and Faber & Faber supports studies of the moving image. It offers searchable access to screenplays presented in industry-standard studio format; introductory overview articles with expert analysis of selected themes; and critical and contextual books on cinema, including coverage of practical techniques for filmmaking and screenwriting.
Digital Theatre Plus This link opens in a new window
Digital Theatre Plus provides access to high-quality performances to audiences where they may not have been accessed before.
Drama Online This link opens in a new window
Drama Online includes material on playwriting history, providing contextual and critical background through scholarly works and practical guides.
IBTD - International Bibliography of theatre and dance This link opens in a new window
International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance with Full Text is the definitive research database for theatre and dance studies. In addition to all the comprehensive indexing of the International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance (IBTD), it contains full text for top performing arts journals and books.
National Theatre 1 This link opens in a new window
Drawing on 10 years of NT Live broadcasts, alongside high-quality archive recordings never previously seen outside of the NT’s Archive, the National Theatre Collection is now complete and contains 30 filmed performances.
National Theatre Collection 2 This link opens in a new window
From the Alexander Street Press homepage, follow the link to "My collections" to access the films.
ProQuest Central This link opens in a new window
ProQuest Central is the largest aggregated database of periodical content. It features a highly-respected, diversified mix of content including scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, books, newspapers, reports and videos.
Additional information about ProQuest Central and how to use it is available
here
Routledge Performance Archive This link opens in a new window
The Routledge Performance Archive provides unique access to a range of audio-visual material from past and present practitioners of performance.
Additional information about Routledge Performace Archive and how to use it is available
here
Screen Studies Collection - Proquest This link opens in a new window
This collection includes the specialist index FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals Database and the detailed and complementary filmographies created by the American Film Institute and the British Film Institute; AFI Catalog and Film Index International.
Additional information about the Screen Studies Collection from ProQuest and how to use it is available
here

Internet Archive This link opens in a new window
Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.
Moving Image Archive (Internet Archive) This link opens in a new window
This library contains digital movies uploaded by Archive users which range from classic full-length films, to daily alternative news broadcasts, to cartoons and concerts. Many of these videos are available for free download
SCOPUS This link opens in a new window
Scopus is the world's largest scientific abstract and indexing database, covering material in Science, technology, medicine and the social sciences.
Social Science Citation Index This link opens in a new window
The Social Sciences Citation Index provides access to current and retrospective bibliographic information, author abstracts, and cited references found in over 1,700 of the world's leading scholarly social sciences journals.
The Social Science Citation Index is now accessed as part of the Web of Science Core Collection.

Canadian Newsstream - Proquest This link opens in a new window
International newsstream - Proquest This link opens in a new window
NewsBank UK (off campus access) This link opens in a new window
NewsBank UK (on campus access) This link opens in a new window
Times Digital Archive 1785-2008 This link opens in a new window
US Newsstream This link opens in a new window

Twelve Key Scottish Plays
From the National Library of Scotland.
This website introduces 12 of the major plays and major playwrights of Scotland. Includes links to other online resources related to each play or playwright. Plays covered: The cheviot, the stag, and the black, black oil; The Jesuit; The hard man; The slab boys; Elizabeth Gordon Quinn; Mary Queen of Scots got her head chopped off; The steamie; Bold girls; Bondagers; Europe; Knives in hens; Black Watch.
What we wore: a history of fashion from 1720 to 1982
From the BBC Archives.
"This unusual collection of programmes reveals what it took to be stylish through over 250 years of British history as it explores fashion from 1720 to 1982."
Talking Hamlet - actors discuss playing Shakespeare's Dane
From the BBC Archives.
"...From John Gielgud's lifelong association with the play, both as star and director, via David Warner's student prince to Derek Jacobi and Kenneth Branagh's involvement with television and cinematic treatments, this collection examines the challenges and rewards that some of the giants of the theatre have faced when exploring the enigma of 'Hamlet'."

Drama Online

DT+

Digital Theatre+ provides online access to a digital streaming video collection of unique films of current, world leading theatre productions.

Over 1000 full length productions from more than 50 world class theatre companies
High quality digital capture of live productions
Behind-the-scenes documentaries
Detailed introductions, plot summaries, character biographies, relationship maps, language analysis, scene studies, performance backgrounds and historical contexts.

Internet Archive Scholar

Internet Archive Scholar
This fulltext search index includes over 25 million research articles and other scholarly documents preserved in the Internet Archive. The collection spans from digitized copies of eighteenth century journals through the latest Open Access conference proceedings and pre-prints crawled from the World Wide Web.

Database searching tips

Help with using databases

See below for support materials and tutorials for using some of the key databases.

Please contact your librarian for more help if needed.

Scopus

Scopus Quick Reference Guide
A written overview to help you get started with Scopus. The document can be downloaded or printed out.

Proquest

Proquest advanced search help
How to use advanced search in Proquest Central - includes tips for focussing your search and a link to the advanced search video.

Proquest search tips
Help with Boolean operators, truncation and wild cards, proximity operators etc.

Proquest 'My Research' help
My Research is a tool that you can use to save, manage, and organize the content and supporting materials you find and create in ProQuest. You can include documents, searches, search alerts, RSS feeds, and more in My Research. Setting up a My Research account is simple and free to all ProQuest users.

EBSCOhost

Using EBSCOhost databases

From January 2025, EBSCOHost databases have a new look and feel. They still work in a similar way but have some new features including a personalised dashboard. See below for information about the changes and how to get the most out of the EBSCOHost databases we provide access to at QMU, including CINAHL Plus, Communication & Mass Media Complete, ERIC, Hospitality & Tourism Complete, International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance, MEDLINE and APA PsycInfo.

To see our full range of subject databases, including EBSCOHost databases, see the Databases A-Z.