Authoritative and wide-ranging, this absorbing account of the history of theatre draws on the latest scholarly research to describe and celebrate theatre's greatest achievemenst over 4,500 years, from festival performances in ancient Egypt to international multicultural theatre in the late twentieth century.

John Russell Brown was Professor of Theature at the University of Michigan, and for fifteen years was Associate of the National Theatre in London. He has writen and edited several books and editions of plays by Shakespeare, and has directed plays for professional and student companies.