Marin County library patrons now have free access to music, dance and theatre performances and instructional material from Alexander Street, thanks to the California State Library. Featuring thousands of video and audio recordings, these online collections provide access for students and teachers, lifelong learners, and lovers of the performing arts.
The Alexander Street collections from ProQuest include:
Audio Collections:
The L.A. Theatre Works Collection contains some of the most important dramatic masterpieces and contemporary plays of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, performed by leading actors from around the world and recorded specifically for online listening.
Smithsonian Global Sound for Libraries provides a virtual encyclopedia of unique American folk, blues, soul, jazz, and protest songs, as well as a broad range of world music through partnership with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.
Video Collections:
Performing Arts Video Collection, including:
- Music Online: The Qwest TV Collection, co-created by Quincy Jones & Reza Ackbaraly, offers valuable materials for music history and cultural studies through the preservation of diverse live performances, representing jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, folk, indie, electronic, blues, and other eclectic world genres.
- Dance Online: Dance in Video is a collection of performances, instructional materials, documentaries, and interviews, showcasing high-caliber performances from dance companies and performers worldwide, including traditional ballet to hip hop, street dance, and modern dance.
- Broadway On Demand includes plays, musicals, and dance performances along with behind-the-scenes series, documentaries, instructional videos, and more.
- National Theatre Collection provides contemporary video productions, modern reinterpretations of classic plays — all featuring acclaimed actors and directors along with behind-the-scenes archival content.
- The Royal Shakespeare Company Collection contains high-definition recordings of top Shakespearean actors and directors, along with supplementary teaching materials designed to help bring Shakespeare to life in the modern age.
- Theatre in Video offers access to hundreds of significant plays, documentaries, and instructional materials, as well as interviews with prominent directors, designers, writers, and actors, providing an authentic behind-the-scenes look at various productions.
- Classical Music in Video provides influential performances and documentaries demonstrating the development of classical music, spanning eras from past masters to modern composers.
- Opera in Video offers a wide curated selection of opera performances, featuring top artists, conductors, and venues.
How to Access:
Find the Alexander Street Performing Arts Collections in our A-Z list of Online Resources or click the direct links below:
- Alexander Street L.A. Theatre Works Collection
- Alexander Street Smithsonian Global Sound for Libraries
- Alexander Street Performing Arts Video Collection
If prompted, enter your library card number. If asked to select a library, select Marin County Free Library.
Enjoy the show!
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