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The Story of the Theatre: A Short History of Theatrical Art From Its Beginnings to the Present Day
Paperback
Literary CriticismTheater History
ISBN13: 9781025499567
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 500
Weight: 1.53
Height: 1.01 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
The Story of the Theatre: A Short History of Theatrical Art From Its Beginnings to the Present Day offers an expansive and insightful survey of the evolution of the stage. Written by Glenn Hughes, this scholarly yet accessible work chronicles the transformation of theatrical art from its earliest origins in religious ritual to the sophisticated professional productions of the early 20th century.
The narrative guides readers through the golden age of Greek tragedy and comedy, the spectacles of the Roman Empire, and the vibrant cycles of medieval mystery plays. It explores the profound impact of the Renaissance, the refinement of the Elizabethan era, and the stylistic shifts of the Restoration and Enlightenment. Hughes also provides significant attention to the diverse traditions of Asian theatre, including the classical forms of India, China, and Japan, offering a truly global perspective on performance art.
Covering everything from architectural changes and scenic design to the development of acting styles and dramatic literature, The Story of the Theatre serves as an essential resource for students, practitioners, and enthusiasts of the dramatic arts. This comprehensive history captures the enduring power of performance and its central role in human culture across the ages.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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