Combines signed biographical entries on major playwrights, including William Shakespeare, Guan Hanqing, Henrik Ibsen, and Tennessee Williams.

Combines, updates, and expands two earlier Salem Press reference sets: Critical survey of drama, Rev. ed., English language series, published in 1994, and Critical survey of drama, Foreign language series, published in 1986. This new 8 vol. set contains 602 essays, of which 538 discuss individual dramatists and 64 cover broad overview topics. The dramatist profiles contain more than 310 photographs and drawings.

Combines, updates, and expands two earlier Salem Press reference sets: Critical survey of drama, Rev. ed., English language series, published in 1994, and Critical survey of drama, Foreign language series, published in 1986. This new 8 vol. set contains 602 essays, of which 538 discuss individual dramatists and 64 cover broad overview topics. The dramatist profiles contain more than 310 photographs and drawings.

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Identifies important playwrights, actors, actresses, directors, designers, producers, plays, schools, and genres, and explains the meaning of theater terms

Critical essays examine representative plays and identify themes and characteristics employed by fifty dramatists not covered in the original series. Also updates the original series with more recent information on prizes, achievements, and awards of theliterary form.

Critical essays examine representative plays and identify themes and characteristics employed by more than 170 dramatists ranging from Aeschylus in 400 B.C. to the contemporary Austrian Peter Handke.

Surveys the careers and critically evaluates the works of the world's major dramatists