Performing arts

Based in Leicester Square, at the heart of London's theatre and cinema world, at Westminster Reference Library we have a collection of some 15,000 books covering the performing arts, a third of which are available to borrow.

Our books and journals cover:

From our collection of books, yearbooks, directories and journals we can provide you with:

• Reviews and production details of virtually any West End stage show since 1890
• Access to Screen Online; the BFI's archive of film clips
• Reviews and production details of nearly any English language feature film, and many non-English motion pictures
• Information on radio and TV programmes since the 1920s
• Biographical information on your favourite stars from film, broadcasting, theatre and dance
• Contact names and addresses for artistes, arts organisations, agents, production companies and more
• Practical information on production and direction techniques
• A large collection of play texts going back hundreds of years, plus 100 classic playsets available to borrow

We have a wide range of film, theatre, dance, radio & TV magazines, some (such as The Stage and Era) going back to the 19th century. Music and Performing Arts Online, Film Index International and other indexes will help you find articles in these journals and give you access to thousands more in CyberSpace!

Access all the major entertainment and media directories here, including Artistes and their Agents, Benn's Media, Contacts, The Knowledge, PACT, PCR, Showcase, Spotlight and The White Book, Writers and Artists' Yearbook.

Unique to Westminster Reference Library! A cumulative index to "Theatre Record", giving you easy access to over 25 years of national newspaper reviews of West End and major fringe and provincial plays. You can search by title or playwright. We can also provide lists by director, company or venue; and we are now working on an ambitious cast index!

Looking for an image?

A lot of our collections are very much geared towards picture research, including all fields of design, many photography books, illustrated general reference resources and free Internet access.

Looking for a play?

Many classic plays can be found in Westminster’s lending libraries, but thousands more are also available to consult in the Performing Arts Collection. A lending collection of about 100 play sets (multiple copies, appropriate to the number of parts) is also available at this library.

And it's not just us...

Other key performing arts resources within Westminster include a large collection of theatre programmes and playbills, prints and scrapbooks at the City of Westminster Archives Centre and musical scores, orchestral sets and books on music at Westminster Music Library.

Find Entertainment & performance websites using the Westminster Libraries Information Gateway.