The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) provides information about Broadway theatre productions from its beginnings to the present. It was created by the Research Department of the League of American Theatres and Producers, the national trade association for Broadway, and calls itself “the official database for Broadway theatre information”. Its goal is to provide a comprehensive history of Broadway.
Users can search the database, look at a list of notable theatrical events (people born or shows opening) on any date, or select from a list of currently‐playing productions to see the opening night cast and production credits. There are also links to LiveBroadway.com, “the official Web site of Broadway,” and NBTA, the official Web site for the National Broadway Theatre Awards.
Information provided for individual shows include theatre name, dates of performance, number of previews and performances, types (musical, play, or special) and subtypes (e.g. comedy, solo, all‐male cast), opening night production credits, and opening night cast. For people, birth/death dates, gender, spouse(s)/children, and productions and their function in them (performer, composer, designer, etc.) are provided. For theatres, the street address, date built and by whom, ownership, previous names, and shows that opened at that theatre are given. Information provided for seasons includes the names of shows opening and closing during that period. In each record, there are hyperlinks from names of people, theatres, and productions to their corresponding database entries.
Simple and advanced search options are available. In a simple search, users enter the name of a person, show, theatre, or year(s) of a Broadway season. They can select a category or search across all categories. Truncation is automatic. The advanced search form provides additional search options. For shows, users can search by name, type, subtype, setting, number of performances, and/or opening and closing date ranges. For people, users can search by first or last name, function, gender, date of birth/death, and/or place of birth/death. For theatres, users can search by name and/or address. There is also a character search, to find the shows in which the character appeared and all the performer(s) who portrayed that character. Search options can be combined within a category (e.g. musicals set in Washington, DC). However, searches cannot be performed across multiple categories. In addition to the above, database records for people and theatres provide an option to add a name, to see where (or if) both were credited together. Excellent help text explains how to use simple and advanced searches. The ability to find a list of productions that played between two dates is “coming soon.”
The only problem I ran into (which would no doubt not be one for a true aficionado) is the lack of forgiveness for spelling differences. As I learned, in Camelot Arthur’s wife’s name is not “Guinevere”, but “Guenevere”, and was not retrieved with the first search.
The level of detail provided is almost bewildering in its depth and breadth. The site is easy to navigate, and information is clearly presented. The IBDB definitely meets its goal of providing a “comprehensive history of Broadway”.
