Taking the stage: Theatre design students and research

Abstract

Theatre design research is multidisciplinary and highly visual in nature. Students of theatre design need to learn how to locate appropriate primary source images, as this is not necessarily intuitive for early career students. While multiple image repositories are available online, students usually rely on more convenient resources. This article describes a seven year collaboration between a librarian and theatre design professor working to develop the information literacy skills, as well as visual literacy and primary source literacy skills and knowledge of Theatre design students enrolled in Stage Makeup, Costume Design, and the History of Style and Decor at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ. This article adds a unique and innovative perspective to the library literature. Not only does it add to the limited collection of scholarly literature on the information literacy knowledge and skills training of theatre students, but since it focuses on theatre design students and their unique visual research needs, this article includes both visual and primary source literacy.