A history of the theatre

by Glynne Wickham

Traces the development of drama from ancient Greece to the present, examines the theater of Italy, England, Spain, and France, and looks at stages, sets, and costume design

Genres: Nonfiction, History

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Steven Latour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable and very readable history of the theatre. Although I am somewhat familiar with ancient Greek, Shakespeare, and the Theatre of the Absurd, this book was crucial in helping me understand the plays I have read by various authors, particularly Ibsen, as well as filling in the gaps of how theatre survived the fall of Rome, the Medieval Church, and the various iterations that sprung up in Europe and then in America. So glad I found a copy of this at a local library sale.

[Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was hugely insightful; it gave particular focus to Ancient Greek tradition, but also to the French suppression of religious drama c.1545, which linked in well with Elizabethan theatre. However, the section on Elizabethan drama relegated Dr. Faustus merely to the 'last of England's overtly religious plays'; what about the massive anti-Calvinist subtext? Illustrations were good, albeit in black and white. Overall, it did provide a comprehensive history of world theatre; I'd recommend it for a decent in-depth overview.

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great comprehensive look at how theatre has evolved for the last 3000 years from Ancient Greece to comparing different beginnings of theatre in European countries, how world events shaped theatre. It ends in the early nineties which while still being informative I do wonder if they ever made an updated version since I'm currently reading this in 2021 and would be interested in reading knowing how theatre has evolved from the nineties until now.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never had a better textbook for the theatre.