Whether you are a theatre major looking forward to a career in the arts or a non-major interested in an overview to increase your appreciation as an audience member, THE ESSENTIAL THEATRE, 11th Edition, provides an engaging, insightful, and informative resource that will enrich your theatre experience throughout your life. Written by highly respected teachers and theatre historians, the text has earned its reputation as one of the most comprehensive, authoritative surveys of the theatre. Its vibrant treatment of theatre practice--past and present--catalogs the origins of theatre through postmodernism and performance art. The Eleventh Edition includes an all-new chapter devoted to musical theatre, new "Then and Now" boxes that link theatre history to present-day, and numerous new photos--including photos of actors you will quickly recognize from film and television.

Known as the "bible" of theatre history, Brockett and Hildy's History of the Theatre is the most comprehensive and widely used survey of theatre history in the market. This 40th Anniversary Edition retains all of the traditional features that have made History of the Theatre the most successful text of its kind including worldwide coverage, more than 530 photos and illustrations, useful maps, and the expertise of Oscar G. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy, two of the most widely respected theatre historians in the field. This tenth edition provides the most thorough and accurate assessment of theatre history available and includes contemporary milestones in theatre history.