Research Guides: How To Find...: Plays

Finding Plays in the Library Catalog

The library catalog has plays in both physical and ebook forms. To locate plays in the catalog, search for the title of the play you'd like to find under title, or search for the name of the author. To find collections of plays, you can search for the type of play, for example "American plays."

Or try a search in a database.

Lit-Finder This link opens in a new window
Offers access to more than 135,000 full-text poems, stories, plays and more as well as biographies, essays and explanations.

Finding Plays Online

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
MIT has a site with all of Shakespeare's works available to read for free.
Open Library
Openlibrary is part of the Internet Archive. They require a free account, but offer access to thousands of plays (and other books).
Project Gutenberg
Provides access to thousands of free texts. Search for the author of a play, or the title.

Watch Plays

Drama Notebook
DramaNotebook.com is a web resource for drama teacher. This list provides links to free to watch plays organized by age group.
Filmed on Stage
FilmedonStage.com offers this list of plays that can be streamed for free.
Films on Demand - Plays
The Films on Demand database offers full performances of plays.
Kanopy - Theater Performance
The Kanopy database offers recordings of theater performances.