From the late 1960s through the early 1980s, major accessions of English playbills were acquired by the University of Alberta Library. Purchased for study and research in the Department of Drama the collection of 800+ playbills document in detail casts, contents, dates and prices of the performances staged in the major playhouses of the United Kingdom from 1779 though 1949. The playbills also provide a wealth of information and opportunity for research in the study of history, graphic design and linguistics.
The physical copies of the playbills are housed in the University of Alberta's Bruce Peel Special Collections. Material is available for use by students, staff, and the general public in the library’s supervised reading room upon presentation of valid photo identification (e.g., ONEcard, driver’s license, passport, or citizenship card with photo).
All researchers (including students, faculty, visiting scholars, and members of the general public) must submit a Retrieval Request Form at least 24 hours before their visit to Bruce Peel Special Collections in order to be sure that library materials have been retrieved from storage and are available for their use. When submitting a Retrieval Request Form please provide the "Identifier" code for each item, found in the metadata listed below each image (example: BP_RLT_0057).