Theatre Arts Freshman Symposium discussion geared toward research in the arts at the University of Texas Arlington.

1. Arts and Humanities
Research
 Freshman Symposium UTA Department of
Theatre Arts
 Presented by Dr. Dennis Maher and Melanie
Mason, BFA, MS
 @MelMasonUTA
 @DrDTheaHistory
 www.melaniemason.net

2. RESEARCH
Pronunciation: ri-ˈs rch,ə ˈrē-ˌ
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French
recerche, from recercher to go
about seeking, from Old French
recerchier, from re- + cerchier,
sercher to search
Date: 1577
1 : careful or diligent search
2 : studious inquiry or
examination; especially:
investigation or experimentation
aimed at the discovery and
interpretation of facts, revision of
accepted theories or laws in the
light of new facts, or practical
application of such new or
revised theories or laws
3 : the collecting of information
about a particular subject

3. Research at UTA
 Life-enhancing research is a hallmark of The University of Texas
at Arlington. Founded in 1895, the University is located in the
heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth area in North Texas.
 UT Arlington is classified as a R1: Doctoral University- Highest
Research Activity according to the Carnegie Foundation for
the Advancement of Teaching.
 UT Arlington faculty disclosures of intellectual property and new
technologies have increased four-fold in the past five years.

4. Visual/Performing Artist’s
Responsibilities
"I am an artist... It's self-evident that what that
word implies is looking for something all the
time without ever finding it in full. It is the
opposite of saying, 'I know all about it. I've
already found it.' As far as I'm concerned, the
word means, 'I am looking. I am hunting for it.
I am deeply involved.'"
~Vincent Van Gogh~

5. 7 Steps to Research
 STEP 1: IDENTIFY AND DEVELOP YOUR TOPIC
 STEP 2: FIND BACKGROUND INFORMATION
 STEP 3: USE CATALOGS TO FIND BOOKS AND MEDIA
 STEP 4: USE INDEXES TO FIND PERIODICAL ARTICLES
 STEP 5: FIND INTERNET RESOURCES
 STEP 6: EVALUATE WHAT YOU FIND
 STEP 7: CITE WHAT YOU FIND USING A STANDARD
FORMAT
 Cornell University Library

6. What am I looking for?
 Historical Context
 Playwright information
 Social/Cultural Context
 Religious Influences
 Design Elements
 Genre and Style information
 Performance Reviews and Criticisms
 Previous Productions
 Dramatic Literary Criticism
 Professional Organizations
 Audition Information

7. Search Engines

8. Sherlock in Pajamas
Search Engines - Only as good as the user
and the compiler
 Google Infographic
 WolframAlpha
 Dogpile
 Quora
 Board Reader
 Duckduckgo

9. Vetting Resources
 Looking for
 Accuracy
 Authority
 Objectivity
 Currency
 Coverage
Cornell University Library

10. Online Help
 UTA Library Guides

11. (Wikipedia is the DEVIL!!)

12. Sherlock in Pajamas
 Use it – You’ve Paid for It!
 UTA Library
 Hours
 Locations
 Subject Specialists - Diane Shepelwich
 Subject Guides

13. Put on your shoes and Haul your
Hiney to the Brick and Mortar!
 What to know before you go – UTA Library
 Dewey VS. LOC
 Borrowing at other Libraries
 WorldCat
 ILL

14. How to find Journal articles…
 Academic Search Premiere
 Gale
 TRI
 UTA Library

15. Online Resources
 Scholarly journals
 Restoration and 18th century theatre research
 South African Theatre Journal
 The Theatre annual
 Theatre communications
 Theatre crafts
 Theatre design & technology
 Theatre history in Canada
 Theatre History Studies
 Theatre Research International

16. Online Resources, ctd.
 Internet Theatre Database
 Literary Resources -- Theatre and Drama
 NYU Theater and Performance Studies Resources
 Theatre Central (at Playbill)
 Theater, Drama, Performance Art Web sites (New Zealand site)
 Theatre Library Performing Arts Links
 Voice of the Shuttle: Drama, Theater & Performance Studies
 WWW Virtual Library: Theater and Drama
 Yahoo Theater Links

17. Resources, cont.
 Companions and Guides
 American theater and drama research : an
annotated guide to information sources, 1945-1990 /
Irene Shaland.
 Cambridge companion to medieval English theatre /
edited by Richard Beadle.
 The performing arts [electronic resource] : a guide to
the reference literature / Linda Keir Simons. Author:
Simons, Linda Keir. Publisher Info: Englewood, Colo. :
Libraries Unlimited, 1994. Material Type: Book (Net
Library)

18. Resources, ctd.
Biographies
 Magic of light: the craft and career of Jean
Rosenthal, pioneer in lighting for the modern
stage [by] Jean Rosenthal and Lael
Wertenbaker. Illus. by Marion Kinsella.
 Contemporary Jewish-American dramatists and
poets : a bio-critical sourcebook / edited by
Joel Shatzky and Michael Taub.
 Lee Strasberg: the imperfect genius of the
Actors Studio / Cindy Adams.

19. Types of Resources
 Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
 Dictionary of the Black theatre : Broadway, off-
Broadway, and selected Harlem theatre / Allen Woll.
 Dictionary of developmental drama : the use of
terminology in educational drama, theatre education,
creative dramatics, children's theatre, drama therapy,
and related areas / by Richard Courtney
 McGraw-Hill encyclopedia of world drama : an
international reference work in 5 volumes / Stanley
Hochman, editor in chief.
 PN2035

20. Resources, cont.
Histories
○ American presidents attend the theatre : the
playgoing experiences of each chief executive /
Thomas A. Bogar.
○ Theatre in revolution : Russian avant-garde stage
design, 1913-1935 / Nancy Van Norman Baer ; with
contributions by John E. Bowlt ... [et al.].
○ Outline history of British drama / Richard Courtney.

21. Resources, ctd.
 Chronologies
 Calendar of English Renaissance drama,
1558-1642 / Yoshiko Kawachi.
 Chronology of American musical theater /
Richard C. Norton.
 Chronological outline of world theatre / by
Walter J. Meserve and Mollie Anne
Meserve.

22. Areas & Topics of Studies
 Acting, Directing, Stage Management
 Monologues, men, 2 : 50 speeches from the contemporary
theatre / Robert Emerson, Jane Grumbach, editors.
 Dance
 Of the presence of the body : essays on dance and
performance theory / edited by AndréLepecki.
 Design and Technology
 Stage lighting in the boondocks : a layman's handbook of
down-to-earth methods of lighting theatricals with limited
resources / by James Hull Miller.

23. Areas & Topics of Studies
 History, Theory & Criticism
 American drama criticism : interpretations, 1890-1977
/ compiled by Floyd Eugene Eddleman.
 Musical Theater
 Encyclopedia of the musical theatre / Kurt Gánzl.
 Playwriting & Dramaturgy
 Dramaturgy of the daemonic : studies in antigeneric
theater from Ruzante to Grimaldi / Jackson I. Cope.

24. Areas & Topics of Studies
 Theater Management/Production
 Routledge companion to nonprofit
marketing / edited by Adrian Sargeant and
Walter Wymer.

25. Right in Your Own Backyard
 UTA Theatre Homepage
 Faculty
 Degree Plans (Access to Advisor/Mentors)
 Schedules/Hours
 Area Theatres
 Cliff Harville Library

26. Theatre Research International
Theatre Research International publishes articles
on theatre practices in their social, cultural,
and historical contexts, their relationship to
other media of representation, and to other
fields of inquiry. The journal seeks to reflect the
evolving diversity of critical idioms prevalent in
the scholarship of differing world contexts.
 Editor(s):Elaine Aston, Lancaster University, UK
Charlotte Canning, The University of Texas at Austin, USA
 TRI

27. Social Media
 Facebook
 Twitter
 Instagram
 Pinterest
 Linkdin