Pictorial references are essential to illustrate any discussion of theatrical design. There are resources that locate original scenic designs, but access to original work is often restricted. The easiest way for most people to research stage designs is to consult photographic reproductions, but finding photographs from hundreds-if not thousands-of sources requires much time and effort. This index of 7000 productions by more than 2000 scenic designers focuses on photographs of 20th-century sets, renderings, and models of theatre and opera productions appearing in 114 selected books and journals likely to be held by most research libraries.

The selected works include books about theatre history, scenic design and stagecraft, as well as design exhibition catalogs and works on specific designers or types of productions. The listing of these sources provides publication information with each work assigned a bibliographic code. The bulk of the volume is an index of productions with entries arranged alphabetically by play title. Each entry provides subentries for productions with which individual designers were involved, along with citations for the works in which photographs of the production appear. A separate index lists the designers and their productions.