The Methuen Drama Encyclopedia of Modern Theatre

A new edition of the celebrated Continuum Companion to Twentieth Century Theatre (2002), The Methuen Drama Encyclopedia of Modern Theatre is an updated, expanded A to Z of modern theatre, from the late 19th century to today, featuring short entries and in-depth articles contributed by a unique team of expert academics, journalists, and celebrated theatre practitioners.

This authoritative and accessible encyclopedia of more than 2,500 entries by some 450 international contributors explores a vast range of subjects from audiences, body art, burlesque, carnival, circus, cosplay, dramatic theories, escapology, and geek theatre to digital scenography, fireworks, immersive theatre, magic, queer theatre, puppet theatre, verbatim theatre, and waxworks. Entries on the interaction of theatre and other art forms, such as opera, dance, pop music, hip hop, television, radio, cinema, and the internet are included along with entries on theatre’s relationship to a plethora of topics such as food, fashion, photography, empire, slavery, globalization, race, and gender. Overviews of major concepts, genres, and topics can be found alongside entries on individual actors, choreographers, composers, critics, designers, directors, playwrights, and producers. Individual cities, festivals, institutions, theatres, and theatre companies are covered in tandem with longer articles on individual countries across the continents.

Joining the existing band of distinguished practitioner contributors, which includes Cicely Berry, Peter Brook, Simon Callow, Richard Eyre, Jessica Lange, Litz Pisk, Hal Prince, Jason Robards, Janet Suzman, Jennifer Tipton, and Billie Whitelaw, is Kelli O’Hara on performing musical theatre and a group of actors writing about performing a particular playwright. Among them, Lou Bellamy on August Wilson, Eve Best on Harold Pinter, Deirdre O’Connell on Maria Irene Fornés, and Maxine Peake on Caryl Churchill, while complementing Ian McKellen on Shakespeare is a new take by Jade Anouka.

Combining factual, biographical, and reflective articles, The Methuen Drama Encyclopedia of Modern Theatre gives the reader more texture of theatrical experience and insight than any other encyclopedia. It is an essential purchase for college and university libraries around the world.

Colin Chambers, a former journalist and theatre critic, was Literary Manager of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1981 to 1997, and since 2014 has been Emeritus Professor of Drama at Kingston University, UK. As well as editing and contributing to the Continuum Companion to Twentieth Century Theatre, he has written extensively on the theatre, including the books Other Spaces: New Writing and the RSC; Playwrights’ Progress (with Michael Prior); The Story of Unity Theatre; Peggy: the Life of Margaret Ramsay, Play Agent (winner of the inaugural Theatre Book Prize); Inside the Royal Shakespeare Company; Here We Stand: Politics, Performers and Performance - Paul Robeson, Isadora Duncan and Charlie Chaplin;and Black and Asian Theatre in Britain: A History.

Mead Hunter is Assistant Professor in the Performing Arts Department of the University of Portland, USA, where he teaches theatre history, dramaturgy and script analysis.

Jim Reynolds is a Senior Lecturer in Drama at Kingston University, UK, teaching courses covering theatre theory, devising, adaptation, research, directing, theatre practice and production, tragedy, and applied theatre.