Endorsements

'A very effective summary of a lifetime of major creative and scholarly experiment...almost certainly already having a major influence on numerous students in many drama, theatre, and performance studies departments in colleges and universities around the world.' – New Theatre Quarterly

'Replete with photographs, diagrams and a steady stream of offset excerpts from other primary sources, the book is both visually beautiful and innovatively formatted. It is commendable as well for the genuinely serious attention it gives to basic pedagogical concerns. This attention carries over into the book itself which is not only marked by generally lucid and jargon-free prose but which is also complemented by bionotes (complete with reference to major works) on virtually every author mentioned in the text. To say that Schechner’s book is reader-friendly is a bit of an understatement. It is one of those rare academic publications that is attentive to both the beginning and advanced scholar and to both student and teacher.... it marks the coming of age of performance studies ...as an acknowledged field of study' - Theatre Journal

' An immensely rich and rewarding guide to performance' - Ngugi wa Thiong’o, New York University

'Richard Schechner's work is crucial to exploring the tricky and sometimes dangerous territories of performance. Not only is he responsible for continually expanding the boundaries of the field but also for demystifying esoteric issues. His work reaches wide constituencies. Through his writings, I always discover new ways of looking at performance, and through performance at the world at large. His thoughts always renew my desire to change the world .' - Guillermo Gómez-Peña, performance artist and writer, San Francisco

'This fecund and useful volume sets up lively possibilities for exploring the entire spectrum of behaviors, restored or otherwise that Schechner as scholar, editor, and practitioner, has been sorting out for years with an enterprising spirit that now defines performance studies.' - Herbert Blau, University of Washington, Seattle

'An appropriately broad-ranging, challenging, and provocative introduction, equally important for practicing artists as for students and scholars of the performing arts.' - Phillip Zarrilli, University of Exeter

'This isn't merely the musings of a theatre director who never stops innovating. It is a global thinker's striking, historic way of understanding human nature from a surprisingly practical perspective, which can be adapted in countless areas at numerous levels.' - Sun Huizhu, Professor of Drama, Shanghai Theatre Academy

'Exactly what I have longed for. It provides linkages between concepts, gives historical perspective, and explains theoretical ideas in a language accessible to undergraduate students. It will be required reading.' - Takahashi Yuichiro, Dokkyo University, Hyogo

'Well written, thoughtful and provocative. An essential purchase.' - Sally Harrison-Pepper, Miami University

'This textbook is excellent and sure to excite classroom discussion. Whether teaching World Theatre or Performance Theory, it provides a provocative guide to questions that arise when performance is approached in a global perspective. I will certainly adopt it in my classroom. ' - Rebecca Schneider, Cornell University

'The text is very cleverly put together with a clear idea of how its features contribute to the reading of the material. I frankly cannot imagine it being done better. ' - Simon Shepherd, Central School of Speech and Drama, London

'It will make the teaching of performance studies a lot easier.' - Colin Counsell, University of North London