Finding plays by a diverse range of historical playwrights--in this case we'll define that term "historical" as prior to 1900--can be hard. Like, really hard! The creation of a dramatic canon has pretty much privileged white men from Western Europe. This page is an attempt to help you discover a more inclusive set of historical playwrights and their plays, so you can discover wonderful plays that deserve the time and attention paid to others.
Unlike the other pages in the Diverse Plays group, this is not just a listing of playwrights, but instead is a wealth of resources and strategies to help you delve into this realm of research. Use these resources as starting off points to further your exploration. Look at the books on the shelves next to these. Get out there and find something old that should be new again!
Asia
Chinese Theater in the days of Kublai Khan by 
Famous Chinese plays by 
Battles, Betrayals, and Brotherhood: early Chinese plays on the Three Kingdoms by 
Great Sanskrit Plays in Modern Translation by 
How the Nagas Were Pleased by Harsha and the Shattered Thighs by Bhasa by 
The Orphan of Zhao and Other Yuan Plays by 
Sanskrit plays from epic sources by 
Theatre of Memory: The plays of Kālidāsa by 
Women in Traditional Chinese Theater by Latin America
Stages of Conflict: A critical anthology of Latin American theater and performance by Europe
Eighteenth-Century Women Playwrights by 
German Theater Before Seventeen Fifty by 
Nineteenth-Century Russian Plays by 
The Turkish theatre by Miscellaneous
General Resources
World Theatre: The Basics by 
Critical Survey of Drama, Fourth Edition by 
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama by Africa
A History of Theatre in Africa by Asia
Historical Dictionary of Japanese Traditional Theatre by 
The Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre by 
Historical Dictionary of Chinese Theater by Latin America
El teatro en América Latina by 
