In this section of Theatre 230, we will be taking advantage of a recent grant we received at the library, that allows us $500 for playscripts by diverse authors, to be purchased from the publisher Theatre Communications Group. In our library session, we'll begin gathering information about which plays are missing from our collection, and which ones we may want to add. We'll also be thinking about how theatre professionals learn about new plays and make decisions about what to read, purchase, or produce.
During our library session, we will begin editing the "suggested plays" list to eliminate plays we already own and gather information about the plays for the future use of students in this class and the rest of the theatre department. The steps of our in-class activity will be:
1. In groups, focus on one of the lists in the Google document below. Use Search@UW to determine whether the library already owns the play, or if it is available through the UW System. If so, add a link to the library catalog record underneath or embedded in the title.
2. For those plays that are *not* in UWM's collection, begin looking for synopses of the play, reviews, or scholarly articles about the play. For this, you'll want to use a combination of Search@UW and other tools linked in other parts of this guide, and possibly Google. If you find items that looks useful, add links under the play title in the shared list.
3. If you learn enough about a play to feel that it should be added to the library collection, highlight the title.
4. Throughout the semester, use this list to give you some options for reading. Make UW requests, ILL requests, or read supplementary materials. As you do this, continue adding links, highlighting, etc. in our shared document, and keep track of what you've learned. You may add plays from the full TCG collection to this list—make sure to add them to the correct section, based on research.
5. By the end of the semester, be prepared to recommend at least one play for purchase, with justification. You can also make recommendations for non-TCG purchases, but I may not be able to immediately buy them.
