Cultural History of Theatre in the Early Modern Age

Robert Henke is Professor of Drama and Comparative Literature, and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the Washington University, St. Louis, USA.

Not since the Cambridge History of American Theatre (1998–2000) has a multiauthored theatre history been as anticipated as Bloomsbury’s A Cultural History of Theatre… Having read all six volumes (1,636 pages), I can testify to the magnitude of their accomplishment. A Cultural History of Theatre is a profound reconsideration of how we understand theatre, its myriad social contexts, and the cultural work it accomplishes… the product of intellectual labor and creativity, and its accomplishments are many. A landmark work in theatre and social history, it illuminates theatre through the lens of culture, and culture through the lens of theatre.

• List of IllustrationsNotes on ContributorsSeries PrefaceEditor’s AcknowledgementsIntroduction: Culture, Cultural History and Early Modern TheatreRobert Henke, Washington University, USA1 Institutional Frameworks: Mapping Theatrical ResourcesTom Bishop,University of Auckland, New Zealand and Robert Henke, Washington University, USA2. Social Functions: Audience Participation, Efficacious EntertainmentErika T. Lin, The City University of New York, USA3. Sexuality and Gender: The Early Modern Theatrical BodyEric Nicholson, Syracuse University in Florence, Italy4. The Environment of Theatre: Urbanization and Theatre Building in Early Modern EuropeKaren Newman, Brown University, USA5. Circulation: Aristocratic, Commercial, Religious and Artistic Networks Pavel Drábek, University of Hull, UK6. Interpretations: Antitheatrical Thinking and the Rise of 'Theatre'Stefan Hulfeld, University of Vienna, Austria 7. Communities of Production: Lives in and out of the TheatreWilliam N. West, Northwestern University, USA8. Repertoire and Genre: Culture and SocietyFriedemann Kreuder, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany9. Technologies of Performance: From Mystery Plays to the Italian OrderBlair Hoxby, Stanford, USA10 Knowledge Transmission: Theatre at the Crossroads of Concept, Medium and PracticeEllen MacKay, Indidana University, USANotesBibliographyIndex