Theatre Arts: Plays
Where's the Play Section?
The UI Libraries uses a system to organize materials on the shelf that INTERFILES all literature, including novels and playscripts. This means it's not possible to go to the Main Library and browse through available playscripts in the stacks, where they are outnumbered vastly by the novels.
The best way to find plays available through the Libraries is by searching InfoHawk+ (search tips below).
If there's a playscript that you're trying to locate and it's not available here at Iowa or through other libraries using Interlibrary Loan, email the Theatre Arts Librarian, Katie Buehner for assistance.
Look for Plays in Catalogs
Find plays in the UI Libraries using InfoHawk+
InfoHawk+ is an online tool for searching the University of Iowa's print and online collections.
Advanced Search Fields
- Use InfoHawk+'s Advanced Search to locate plays by TITLE, AUTHOR (playwright), or using KEYWORDS. To set the field you want to search, use the dropdown boxes to the left of the search boxes. You can even mix and match (e.g., use one box to search the TITLE field and another to KEYWORD search.
| TYPE OF SEARCH | SEARCH TERM (why or how it works) |
|---|---|
| Search by TITLE | "A Raisin in the Sun" (this title is distinctive, so it makes for a good search phrase in the TITLE field) |
| Search by AUTHOR | Nottage, Lynn (if entering the playwright's name in an AUTHOR search, put their last name before their first name) |
| Search by KEYWORD (Any field) | chekhov and "three sisters" (Three Sisters is a bit generic for a title, so adding Chekhov's name to the search and using keywords is a good strategy for success) |
| Search by SUBJECT | Monologues. (This SUBJECT and filtering for BOOKS under Material Type results in books that are tagged as containing monologues. |
- Limit your search by MATERIAL TYPE. Playscripts are Books, even if they are e-books.
- Limit your search by LANGUAGE. If you are having a hard time finding a translation of a play into a specific language or locating a play in its language of origin, this field can be very helpful.
- Limit you search by PUBLICATION DATE. This can be a date range (SPECIFIC DATE) or you can use the preset search options available in the dropdown menu.
Expand your search beyond the UI
If you can't find your play in InfoHawk+, try WorldCat. It's a much bigger database, with over 62,000,000 records from over 2,000 libraries around the world
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Use WorldCat to identify titles that are not available at The University of Iowa Libraries
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If we don't have the book, you can requests the book through Interlibrary loan--it's free.
Online Playscripts
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Drama Online This link opens in a new windowIncludes Aurora Metro Books (129 titles), Core Collection (1630 titles), Nick Hern Books (679 titles), and Oberon Books (487 titles).
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New Play Exchange (NPX) This link opens in a new windowThe New Play Exchange ® (NPX) is the world's largest digital library of scripts by living writers.
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Black Drama - 1850 to present This link opens in a new windowContains over 1,200 plays by more than 200 playwrights from North American, English-speaking Africa, the Caribbean, and other African diaspora, approx. 1850-present.
