Theatre immerses its readers in the world of theatre, giving them
in-depth descriptions of many job functions and various aspects of a
play's production from beginning to end. Through the coverage of design,
acting, and directing, students are given a behind-the-scenes look at
professional theatre artists performing their craft. The Photo Essay
features that appear in multiple chapters include interviews with
well-known figures both onstage and offstage. Conducted personally by
the authors, they provide readers with firsthand accounts of what it's
like to work in the field.
Every culture has developed theatre of some kind, and this edition makes
a greater effort to include plays from non-Western countries in its
examples. There is also greater attention to individual diversity
withing the U.S. theatre community. The authors incorporate more
examples of women and ethnic minorities in both onstage and backstage
roles, including a new profile on Young Jean Lee, the first Asian
American woman to have her work staged on Broadway.