Explore the stage with our live theater database Digital Theater+

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Durham Tech Libraries recently added a very exciting new database resource: Digital Theater+!

When Durham Tech students and instructors use Digital Theater+, they can explore high quality videos of award-winning plays, dig into the history of various genres of theater, and enjoy a Spotify-like curation of stories by theme. It’s an all-encompassing theatrical experience*.

*Stage fright not included.

Continue reading to see what the fuss is all about!

When you navigate to Digital Theater+ (off-campus users will need to login with their Durham Tech username and password, just like for Sakai or Self-Service) users will see a sleek, minimal website that advertises Digital Theater+‘s main offerings: Titles, Genres, Themes, People, and Series. Each section offers learners and educators opportunities to examine works more deeply than simply reading a play.

For example, if your class includes a reading of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, you can navigate to its title page and see a video recording of the BBC’s version of the play, or the L.A. Theater Works production. After a nice play (or during a homemade intermission!) you can view an author’s page, such as Ibsen’s, where supportive material ranges from audio essays introducing the author to related theater production concepts like lighting and set design.

Screenshot of Digital Theater+'s page for "A Doll's House." An image of the play is featured where a man grasps her chin while looking at her.
This example of A Doll’s House “Title Page” offers users a summary of the text of the play, as well as recorded productions of or related to the text below.

Educators might appreciate the supportive materials for classic texts, such as the essay on the historical context of Romeo and Juliet or teaching resources on various genres. Students struggling through reading Shakespeare could turn to Digital Theater+ for riveting performances, such as the Donmar Warehouse’s all-female Shakespeare Trilogy, which looks so riveting that I might have to replace my Netflix queue with some Digital Theater+ watching.

Many productions in Digital Theater+ are separated by Acts or Scenes, which makes a 3 hour production more accessible for busy students and staff! Pictured here are the recorded acts of Donmar Warehouse’s all-female production of Julius Caesar.

Genres collect productions and materials for related plays under broad categories, like Musical Theatre. George Takei fans, take note–you can see the musical production of his life story!) The genre pages are not comprehensive, however, and simply show a sampling of material that falls under genres, like “Tragicomedy” or “Romance.” Whereas Digital Theater+‘s themes collect productions and supportive materials on a variety of other subjects related to plays, playwriting, and performance in general, with topics ranging from Race & Performance to Modernism.

With Digital Theater+, these productions and associated resources help bring clarity and deeper meaning to reading and experiencing plays. Shrug off the Shakespeare blues and explore the richness of theater today!