Welcome
Welcome to the UVA Library research guide for underrepresented voices in drama. This guide is a growing assemblage of resources to help you discover plays, scripts, and drama literature created by or viewed through the lens of underrepresented actors, playwrights, critics, and other drama-related creators. Whether you are online or on-Grounds, UVA Library services and support are available to all students.
Your Librarian
Your Librarian is Amy Hunsaker
Each school/department at UVA is assigned a research librarian. 
This service is available to all Drama students, and meeting with a librarian early in your research process can help you save time and get a better grade.
Amy can help with: Locating videos, scripts, and literature about drama, brainstorming your research topic, developing your search strategy, identifying resources for your research and literature reviews, and citation management. Amy can meet with you in-person or online via Zoom.
Search For Resources
- Interactive Virgo TutorialLearn how to optimize your search results in Virgo.
- Accessing E-ResourcesTools you can use to get instant access to an article or journal found on Virgo or the external web.
- Google ScholarFind articles from most online scholarly journals plus some books and Web sites. Note that Google Scholar does not search all of the journals to which UVa has access.
- WorldCat Discovery This link opens in a new windowWorldCat Discovery helps people find and get resources from the UVA library and libraries worldwide
Technology and Media Support
- Robertson Media Center (RMC) WebsiteWhether you're exploring and creating in this reality or a virtual one, RMC's free and easily accessible equipment and audio, video, 3D printing and VR studios, skilled staff, and tutorials can help your digital projects shine!
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Sign up for Library orientations, workshops, and events with our online calendar. UVA Library programming is offered in-person and online.
Explore Video Performances
These are the most useful databases for finding and streaming theatre productions.
- Digital Theatre+ This link opens in a new windowPatrons using Google Chrome must have the newest version of the Chrome browser in order to continue watching content on Digital Theatre+.
Digital Theatre+ collaborates with over 50 world-class theatre companies, industry associations, practitioners, teachers, examination boards and scholars to capture and curate live performance in stunning quality. The database also brings a range of insights from behind the scenes and educational resources to support study at every level. - Drama Online This link opens in a new windowDrama Online introduces new writers alongside the most iconic names in playwriting history, providing contextual and critical background through scholarly works and practical guides. The constantly growing collection meets the full range of teaching needs for theatre studies, literature courses and drama schools. From the epic to the monologue; ensemble to one-person plays; comedy to tragedy; the historical to the contemporary; and from the highly political to the profoundly personal, there is plenty to discover.
- OntheboardsTV This link opens in a new windowOntheBoards.tv offers high-quality videos of full-length performances by some of today's most provocative artists working in dance, theater, music and other forms that defy categorization.
Search for academic articles
Academic databases contain peer-reviewed articles, scientific papers, reports, and more. These are the most used databases for Drama research.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new windowLarge general database of articles from scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers on many topics. Also includes reference books (World Almanac, American Heritage Dictionary), biographies, speeches, images, and other primary source documents.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowJSTOR provides access to millions of journal articles, books, images, and primary sources in 75 disciplines. The Archive Journal Collection is included.
API available, more information here: APIs for Scholarly Research - Performing Arts Periodicals Database This link opens in a new windowLists articles from scholarly and popular periodicals covering dance, film, television, theater, opera, stagecraft, broadcast arts, storytelling and more. Some journals include full text.
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new windowProject MUSE hosts more than 800 journals and more than 90,000 books covering the humanities and social sciences from nearly 400 leading university presses, scholarly societies, and related publishers.
Databases for Finding Scripts
In addition to Virgo, Digital Theatre+, and Drama Online, you can use the following tools to track down plays and film scripts.
- 20th Century Drama This link opens in a new windowTwentieth-Century Drama contains the essential collection of published plays from throughout the English-speaking world, covering the history of modern drama from the 1890s to the present day. This is an extensive collection of play texts by over 300 principal authors from North America and Canada, Britain and Ireland, India, Africa, Australia, and the Caribbean.
- AFSO: American Film Scripts Online This link opens in a new windowFull text scripts of major American films from the silent era on.
- Dramatists Play ServiceA play-licensing and theatrical publishing agency that includes a useful "playfinder," where you can search by cast size, genre, play length, gender, etc.
Find Monologues & Scenes in Virgo
- Search by Keyword or LC Subject.
- Most monologue books begin with the call number PN 2080. You can browse this area of the shelves to find ones that look interesting.
- If you want to find a certain type of monologue or scene, try one of these keyword combinations:
- Monologues and women
- Scenes and Shakespeare
- Monologues and contemporary
- Auditions and monologues
Locate Resources by Program
- DanceDiscover dance videos, images, and databases available at UVA.
- DramaExpansive guide exploring resources supporting Drama at UVA.
- English Language & LiteratureA guide to conducting research in English language and literature at UVA.
- MusicDetailed guide supporting all aspects of music at UVA.
- Newspaper GuideLooking for Reviews or Criticism? Visit the Newspaper guide to navigate millions of articles.
- Video & Media ResourcesGuide to help navigate the thousands of videos made available by the UVA Library.