Theatre : Journals

(Theatre Communications Group) American Theatre magazine is the nation’s only general-circulation magazine devoted to theatre. American Theatre covers theatrical trends and events, stage artists of every stripe, and economic and legislative developments affecting the arts. Its main purview is America’s wide-ranging network of professional, not-for-profit theatres—commercial, amateur or university theatre is less frequently covered—and the magazine does not review productions (but does review theatre-related books). The complete scripts of major new American plays, accompanied by provocative playwright interviews, appear five times each year.

This journal publishes provocative articles which provide valuable insight and information on the heritage of American theatre, as well as its continuing contribution to world literature and the performing arts. The journal is currently published in a digital format.

(Univ. of Kansas) This journal publishes full-length articles that contribute to the varied conversations in dramatic theory and criticism, explore the relationship between theory and theatre practice, and/or examine the body of work by an individual author or a recent theoretical or critical trend. All issues are available on Project Muse.

(Univ. of Toronto Press) This journal focuses on dramatic literature. Modern Drama is distinguished by the excellence of its close readings of both canonical and lesser-known dramatic texts from a range of methodological perspectives. The journal features refereed articles written from a variety of geo-political points of view which enhance our understanding, both formal and historical, of the dramatic literature of the past two centuries; there is also an extensive book review section.

The journal publishes news, analysis and debate within the field of theatre studies.

MIT) PAJ is a publication of TCG, Theatre Communications Group. It was founded to publish important, original works in the arts and the critical commentary about them, as an ongoing dialogue between art, artists, and the public. PAJ is recognized as a pioneering force in arts publishing, influencing the university curriculum, performance scholarship and documentation, and the theatrical repertoire. Issues include critical essays, artists’ writings, interviews, plays, drawings, and notations, with extended coverage of performance, festivals, and books. Podcasts, video and audio clips appear on PAJ’s online home.

(Cambridge Univ. Press) TDR is the journal of performance studies. A forum for radical performance and theoretical intervention, TDR engages performance in its aesthetic, historical, social, economic, political, and theoretical contexts. The disciplinary zone of performance is conceived broadly – dance, theatre, music, visual arts, sound, architecture, media, everyday events, sports – emphasizing the experimental, the critical, and the provocative.

(Yale, Duke Univ Press) Theater is a publication by Yale University. It has introduced countless important international dramatists to U.S. readers and theaters, and its issues include criticism, reports on theatre today, and full texts of new plays.

(Johns Hopkins) Theatre Journal is published in cooperation with the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE). Drawing contributions from noted practitioners and scholars, Theatre Journal features social and historical studies, production reviews, and theoretical inquiries that analyze dramatic texts and production. The journal stopped publishing new issues in 2017.

Theatre Survey is the preeminent theatre history journal today and is published in cooperation with the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR). Performance-centered and historiographic studies from all points across the historical, cultural, and methodological spectra are welcome.

(Johns Hopkins) Theatre Topics is an official publication of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE). The journal focuses on performance at the border of theory and practice. Concise and timely articles on a broad array of subjects such as dramaturgy, applied theatre, and pedagogy keep readers informed of the latest developments on the stage and in the classroom. The journal's audience includes scholars and students of theatre, educators, members of theatre associations, actors, directors, playwrights, dramaturgs, designers, and theatre enthusiasts.