Acting, direction, stagecraft, theatre architecture and design, the extraordinary evolution of dramatic literature here is an all-embracing and richly illustrated history, global in scope and ranging from the ancient origins of the theatre in the choral hymns sung around the altar of Dionysus to the fascinating variety of forms that it has taken in our own age.

For this fourth edition, Enoch Brater, Kenneth T. Rowe Professor of Dramatic Literature at the University of Michigan and a specialist on modern and contemporary drama, has revised and extended his final chapter to update the discussion. He surveys performance art, political theatre, new genres, live broadcasts and extravagant spectacles, showcasing the constant and dynamic evolution of stage performance, from classics reinvented to groundbreaking new work.