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Costume & Performance Design: Theatre Research

A Guide for Costume, Design for Costume & Performance, and Historical Costume

Further Sources for Theatre Research

In addition to the scholarly sources you will need to research theatre productions, techniques and history, you will also need to make use of primary sources - such as original stage designs and contemporary material, critics' reviews of individual productions and news and industry sources. 

Finding Play Reviews

Play Databases

Theatre Costume & History Collections

The John Johnson Collection
An archive of printed nineteenth-century ephemera, including playbills, tickets, posters, advertisements and illustrations relating to theatrical entertaiment.

V&A Theatre and 
Performance Collection
Searchable digital collections documenting all areas of performing arts, including drama, opera, circus, puppetry, costume, set design, pantomime and more

Paris Music Hall Collection
Original renderings of costume designs and curtain designs for the music halls of Paris, including the Folies Bergere, and the Moulin Rouge, from 1920-1938. 

Las Vegas Showgirls Collection
Photography collection from the University of Nevada, depicting the showgirls of Las Vegas stage, as well as costumes, headdresses and props, from the 1930s-1980s.

Central Saint Martins Theatre Costume Design Collection
Archive collection of costume designs from British designers Jeannetta Cochrane, Pegaret Anthony and Sheila Jackson.

Motley Collection of Theatre and Costume Design
Digital collection of costume and set designs, sketches, photographs, prop lists, storyboards, and fabric swatches, from 1932-1976, at the University of Illinois.

Theatrical Scene and Costume Design Collection
University of Calgary collection featuring a selection of designs from operas, stage plays, ballets, and films, dating from the mid-nineteenth century.

Annette Kellerman Costume Collection
Online collection of costumes, props and memorabilia relating to Annette Kellerman, a swimmer and vaudevillian who pioneered underwater ballet, from 1905-1970.

Daphne Dare Collection
Digital collection of costume and scene designs from more than fifty productions by British designer Daphne Dare.

The Ringling Circus Museum
Selections from the permanent collection of posters and photographs documenting the history of the American circus at Florida State University.

 

Ballet Russes: The Art of Costume
National Gallery of Australia resource for Ballet Russes costumes, listed by ballet or by designer, including Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris and Sonia Delaunay.

Theatre to Cinema: Stage Pictorialism and the Early Feature Film
University of Wisconsin collection of images documenting the ways the live stage influenced films, from early film to 1910s.

Theatre Streaming Sources

Digital Theatre Plus
Recordings of theatrical productions, documentaries set backstage and interviews with directors, costume designers and other practioners.

BoB National
TV and radio programmes, including recordings of theatrical and dance productions.

A selection of productions can be found in this BoB playlist.

Theatre Performance and Design Collection
Collection covering all aspects of theatre, from production and design to performance. Includes full video performances from the National Theatre, BroadwayHD and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Featured Production

Dracula by Northern Ballet (2019)
Bram Stoker’s gothic romance is brought to life on stage in this gripping ballet, performed by the exceptional dancers of Northern Ballet to music by Schnittke, Rachmaninov, Pärt and Daugherty. Choreographed by David Nixon OBE and recorded at Leeds Playhouse on Halloween, 2019.

News & Industry

The Stage
Weekly newspaper covering the UK entertainment industry, particularly theatre. It contains news, reviews, opinion and features, for those who work in theatre and the performing arts. Available online with more recent issues available in print.

American Theatre
US-based magazine devoted to theatre, covering theatrical trends and events. The online archive contains issues from 2013-2020.

Shakespeare

  • BBC Shakespeare Archive
    Hundreds of TV and radio programmes from the BBC’s Shakespeare collection, as well as more than a thousand photos from classic Shakespeare productions.
  • JSTOR Understanding Shakespeare
    Complete texts of all of Shakespeare's plays, with each line linked to scholarly articles from the JSTOR archive that quote it, for research and close reading.
  • MIT Global Shakespeares: Video and Performance Archive
    Video archive providing online access to performances of Shakespeare from many parts of the world as well as essays, interviews and scripts.
  • Shakespeare Films & TV Drama
    Full streaming access to films such as David Tennant’s RSC Hamlet performance, the BBC Hollow Crown series, and the BBC Shakespeare Performances, via BoB National.