If this is your first time using this site, start here. Otherwise, go directly to the SEARCH page.
How to use the Internet Theatre Circuit Database
There are four different search categories available. ​​
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1. Find a Circuit
The Circuit table contains general information ​about many of more than 300 circuits we have discovered.
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2. Find a theatre or circuit
The Theatres table provides comprehensive information about the 3,591 (and counting) theatres we have included. You may search in one or more fields; the more information you provide will produce a more specific result. If you search for a circuit, you will find all the theatres that were a member of that circuit. You can search for location by city and state.​​​​
3. Find an organization that is not a theatre or a circuit.
Information about other contemporary organizations that provide some additional background on the industry.
4. Sources
Many of the sources identified in the records are shown with an abbreviation. Use this search for complete information about them.
Helpful Search Hints
The search condition "is" means exactly that. If you enter the name Sam Smith, it will not find "Sam S. Smith." But if you search for "contains" Smith, it will find Sam Smith, Sam S. Smith, and George Smith.
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​Similarly, "is" "National" will not find "National Theatre", but "contains" National will find both.
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Most Theatres are "re", but some are "er" One is not a substitute for the other. Neither "is" nor "contains" will find both "Theatre" and "Theater"
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Search terms are case sensitive, upper case and lower case matter.
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Some filter fields look for Yes or No in a checkbox. The default status is unchecked means No. If you want Yes, just click inside the box and it will change to red with a check mark inside it.
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If searching for "contains," looking for "SP" will also find "special." If SP is a source, try searching for "contains" "SP @"
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Enter US states with two-letter abbreviations, and use the "is" condition.​
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​United States is the default country. If outside the U.S., enter the name of the country. Note that nation names may be inconsistent, such as "England" or "Great Britain."​​
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You do not have to determine all your filters at once. You can do a search, then add one or more filters at a time to narrow the results.
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You can usually sort results by several different categories, such as State, City, Theatre, and name of circuit. The default sort begins with Theatre.
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If you are trying to find a person, and are not sure what field they may be in, try the universal search. This will search all four groups at once. For example, searching for Cahn (as in Julius Cahn), will find records in Circuits, Theatres, and Sources.