A scholarly look at 4,500 years of theater, beginning with its Greek origins and concluding with a study of theater since 1970.

In memory of Peter D. Arcadi.

Greek theatre / Oliver Taplin -- Theatre in Roman and Christian Europe / David Wiles -- Beginnings of theatre in Africa and the Americas / Leslie Du S. Read -- Italian Renaissance theatre / Louise George Clubb -- Spanish Renaissance theatre / Victor Dixon -- English Renaissance and Restoration theatre / Peter Thomson -- French Renaissance and neo-classical theatre / William D. Howarth -- Eighteenth-century theatre / Peter Holland and Michael Patterson -- Nineteenth-century theatre / Michael B. Booth -- Modern theatre : 1890-1920 / Martin Esslin -- Theatre after two world wars / Christopher Innes -- Oriental theatres : South Asian theatres / Farley Richmond ; East Asian theatres / Colin Mackerras ; South-East Asian theatres / Leon Rubin -- Theatre since 1970 / John Russell Brown.