Acting, direction, stagecraft, theater architecture and design, above all the whole extraordinary evolution of dramatic literature--here is an all-embracing and richly illustrated history, worldwide in scope and ranging from the ancient origins of the theater 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 revised edition, Enoch Brater has written a new chapter, taking into account contemporary movements in theater. He includes recent developments such as performance art, improvisation, and the so-called avant-garde that audiences associate with Robert Wilson, Mabou Mines, and the Wooster Group. There is also a look back at Chaikin and the Living Theatre, and the work of European directors such as Mnouchkine, Peter Brook, and Peter Stein.