A Primer in Theatre History covers productions, personalities, theories,
innovations, and plays from ancient Greece to the Spanish Golden Age.
Grange discusses theatre from 534 BC in Athens to 1681 AD in Madrid. The
book contains highly informative chapters on theatre culture in the
ancient classical world, the medieval period, the Italian Renaissance,
classical Asia, German-speaking Europe, France to 1658, and England to
1642. Following a wide-ranging introduction, chapters allow the
uninitiated reader straightforward access to well-researched material,
often presented in a humorous and approachable fashion. Descriptions of
films augment discussions of theatre, while an extended bibliography and
comprehensive index assist the reader in making further inquiries. Each
chapter features illustrations by Mallory Prucha, a designer and graphic
illustrator who has received several awards at theatre conferences
around the US. A Primer in Theatre History does not read like a
scholarly tome. Its whimsical wrinkles offer readers a more
contemporaneous view of theatre than is customary. It employs, for
example, frequent references to movies germane to topics and time
periods under discussion. Such use of film promotes familiarity among
younger readers, who can then appropriate analogies to theatre
performance.