Subject Librarian: Mary Kandiuk
Academic Programmes Supported and Description of Current Collection
The theatre collection supports undergraduate courses in theatre performance and production, and theatre studies (excluding plays which are covered in literature) in both the Department of Theatre and Atkinson/Fine Arts, and undergraduate studies in drama in literature departments. The Libraries support the graduate M.F.A. Theatre program which is constructed as a conservatory program focusing on ensemble work and the production of plays, and graduate study in drama in graduate literature programmes. We must also keep in mind the proposed M.F.A. programme in Dramaturgy and Criticism, and the proposed PhD programme in Fine Arts Interdisciplinary Studies. The collection also supports the graduate programme in Arts and Media Administration in the Faculty of Administrative Studies.
Description of Current Collection
Materials about the history of theatre, calendars of theatrical activities, biography, lighting, acting and directing; souvenir programmes and regular programmes issued by Canadian theatres and theatre companies; arts administration and cultural policy, including surveys, reports, statistic s, and handbooks and guides for culture administrators. Publications (including microform sets) containing illustrations of decorative arts and costume which serve set, props and costume design research were formerly funded out of the Theatre budget, but in future will be purchased out of the ART fund.
The collections about the theatre in place at this time are approaching a level of completeness where little appears on the antiquarian market that the library doesn’t already own. We do not aspire to comprehensiveness for pre-20th century publications. Another area where completeness is not our goal is regional theatrical activity in the United States and United Kingdom which has attracted a great deal of research interest in recent years. However, we do keep in mind that British and American theatre companies often travelled through Canada, and that the companies and individual actors inevitably influenced Canadian theatrical activity and appreciation, and thus library resources that supply a context for Canadian theatre are important .
Related Collections at York
Copies of plays and play criticism are selected by the Canadian Literature, English Literature, and Foreign Literature bibliographers, with the exception of plays from South-East Asia and the Far East in English translation. The Theatre bibliographer leaves the purchase of guides and instructional manuals that assist in the writing of plays to the Literature bibliographers. An interest in the musical theatre is shared by more than one Fine Arts dep artment. Primary responsibility for archival material for theatre rests with the Archivist. The policy for Visual Arts covers the decorative arts and costume where materials are purchased to support stage design and production. Materials in support of the Arts and Media Administration programme are also acquired by the Government Documents bibliographer.
Canadian theatrical research is to a great extent grounded in newspapers and general periodicals, and these are covered in other policies.
The selector a lso keeps in mind materials that fulfill the role of sources of inspiration, such as visual materials, and readings in psychology, philosophy, religion, and science.
With the exception of Canadian materials, current purchases are almost always in the English language. The language of the text may be disregarded where the illustrations are the main interest, and also where the books or periodicals document contemporary and historical theatrical activity in a particular country in a general way, thus serving to support study of foreign-language literatures.
Geographical Coverage
Our interest in theatrical activity around the world prompts us to look to sources of printed materials (primarily in English) wherever they can be found, but the emphasis is on the English-language theatre, European theatre, and Asian theatre.
There are no chronological limits.
Date of Publications
Retrospective purchasing continues to be an important method of bringing in older works not presently in the collections, and additional copies of older works where needed. However, the bulk of the funds are devoted to current purchases.
Many older works, now out of print, continue to be standard readings for the history of theatre and must be retained in several copies.
Relegation and Weeding
Virtually all materials in the collections have some relevance for the foreseeable future.
- Books — In addition to monographs dealing with theory, history and criticism, and current theatrical activity, the collection includes multi-volume ongoing histories of the stage and collections of reviews; stage annuals; the usual dictionaries, encyclopedias, directories and catalogues; and manuals and technical guides for directors, actors, designers, administrators and other people working in the theatre.
- Journals — Theatre journals are subscribed to selectively. These include theoretical and historical titles, periodicals produced by theatre and actors’ associations, theatre library and theatre education associations, and a representative selection of titles from members of the International Theatre Institute around the world.
- Microforms — A few microforms have been purchased, e.g. costume history and set design from the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the substantial Canadian Performing Arts Files from the Metro Toronto Reference Library, but on the whole little microform material is acquired.
- Theses and Dissertations — Few theses and dissertations are purchased unless the subject is Canadian theatres and theatrical activity.
- Electronic Data Files — While the market has produced little in the way of electronic data files devoted exclusively to theatre, those files that address creative literature, and the arts and culture generally, are of great interest to theatre researchers. It is possible that private theatre research resulting in theatre calendar databases, hypertext programmes, and theatre bibliographies will in due course be made publicly available, although these will only be purchased if there is sufficient demand.
- Ephemera — Canadian theatre programmes have been accepted as gifts, but in view of the University of Guelph’s own collections policy for theatre, in future at York we will restrict ourselves to theatre in Toronto, and the Stratford and Shaw festivals.
- Manuscripts and Archives — Important archival collections for theatre have been acquired, and substantial theatrical collections are housed in Archives and Special Collections. However, the relatively low level of interest on campus in theatre research has required us to de-emphasize this as a collecting area. The University of Guelph Library is developing an extensive archive for Canadian theatre based on the records of Ontario theatre companies.
- Special Collections — Rare books are rarely acquired, although occasionally 19th and early 20th century historical texts and technical manuals are added. Important Canadian publications are duplicated for this location. Souvenir programmes for the Stratford and Shaw theatres and other Canadian companies are routinely added. Many items already in the collections have become “rare” books as the demand on booksellers for some items outstrips the supply.
Resources Elsewhere in the Toronto Region
The Robarts Library at the University of Toronto holds significant research collections for theatre. Furthermore, the Arts Department of the Metro Toronto Reference Library is home to the finest collections in Canada for Canadian theatre, bringing together books, plays, programmes, newspaper clippings, photographs, publicity, and sketches for costumes and sets.