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Living Theatre: A History
"Living A History" conveys the excitement and variety of theatre throughout time, as well as the dynamic way in which our interpretation of theatre history is informed by contemporary scholarship. Rather than presenting readers with a mere catalog of historical facts and figures, it sets each period in context through an exploration of the social, political and economic conditions of the day, creating a vivid study of the developments in theatre during that time.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
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About the author
Edwin Wilson
43 books3 followersAuthor, teacher, critic, Edwin Wilson began his career as Assistant to the Producer for the Broadway play Big Fish, Little Fish, directed by John Gielgud, and the film Lord of the Flies, directed by Peter Brook. He produced plays off-Broadway and coproduced the Broadway play Agatha Sue, I Love You, directed by George Abbott. He also produced the film The Nashville Sound.
Educated at Vanderbilt, Edinburgh, and Yale, he received the first Doctor of Fine Arts degree awarded by Yale. From 1972 to 1994 he was the theatre critic for The Wall Street Journal. For thirty years he taught at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center. During the past four decades he has been the preeminent writer of college theatre textbooks in the U.S. His three books (two coauthored with Alvin Goldfarb) have sold over one million copies.
He has served as president of the Theatre Development Fund and the New York Drama Critics Circle, as well as chairman of the Pulitzer Prize Drama Jury. In the early 1990s, he conducted a series of ninety half-hour television interviews with theater artists ranging from George Abbott to Jerry Zaks, which on appeared on CUNY-TV in New York and 200 PBS stations around the country.
The Patron Murders is Wilson's first novel.
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Praise for The Patron Murders:
“A smashing debut! Patron Murders is a diabolically witty mystery that begins as a classic backstage murder before spinning into the ether where New York’s leading patrons of the Arts are most inventively and gruesomely dispatched. The Art World trembles! Thanks to a gentleman actor doubling as detective [Shades of Lord Peter Wimsey], who mourns a mythical past where things like this never happened who also has a knack for using the latest technology, he solves the case most satisfactorily. Wilson’s intimate knowledge of the way New York works pays off with an ending right out of Moliere’s Misanthrope. I believe reviewers in another time would call this “A delicious romp.” I call it ‘A very good read.’” - John Guare, playwright, author of The House of Blue Leaves, Six Degrees of Separation, and Landscape of the Body; member of The Theatre Hall of Fame.
"An actor becomes an amateur sleuth in Ed Wilson’s New York-savvy detective story, an entertaining blend of Law & Order and a bold-faced version of the real world. Only the solution to several murders will reveal which among the characters are genuine art and theatre lovers and which are the fat-cat phonies and Johnny-come-latelies. Kudos to Wilson for his sparkling debut, a thriller with a social conscience and a sense of humor." - Molly Haskell, film critic, author, From Reverence to Rape, Frankly, My Dear: “Gone with the Wind” Revisited, Holding My Own in No Man’s Land, My Brother, My Sister.
“Put on your tux, pour yourself a gin, and turn up the Cole Porter… From start to finish Edwin Wilson has masterfully conjured a riveting detective mystery for the smart set. It is a captivating tale of murder and intrigue that will take you on an unforgettable journey through Manhattan’s finest locales and High Society.” - Adam Van Doren, Artist and Writer; author of An Artist in Venice and Homes of American Presidents: The House Tells the Story.
"A vivid and informed reflection of the actor’s life on stage and off, The Patron Murders is a classic fusion of narrative tension, engaging characters, and a richly textured review of contemporary culture, business, and moral values. A murder-mystery as enlightening as it is entertaining." - Sidney Offit, editor, teacher, author of Memoir of a Bookie’s Son and Friends, Writers, and Other Countrymen; Curator Emeritus of the George Polk Awards.
Educated at Vanderbilt, Edinburgh, and Yale, he received the first Doctor of Fine Arts degree awarded by Yale. From 1972 to 1994 he was the theatre critic for The Wall Street Journal. For thirty years he taught at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center. During the past four decades he has been the preeminent writer of college theatre textbooks in the U.S. His three books (two coauthored with Alvin Goldfarb) have sold over one million copies.
He has served as president of the Theatre Development Fund and the New York Drama Critics Circle, as well as chairman of the Pulitzer Prize Drama Jury. In the early 1990s, he conducted a series of ninety half-hour television interviews with theater artists ranging from George Abbott to Jerry Zaks, which on appeared on CUNY-TV in New York and 200 PBS stations around the country.
The Patron Murders is Wilson's first novel.
---
Praise for The Patron Murders:
“A smashing debut! Patron Murders is a diabolically witty mystery that begins as a classic backstage murder before spinning into the ether where New York’s leading patrons of the Arts are most inventively and gruesomely dispatched. The Art World trembles! Thanks to a gentleman actor doubling as detective [Shades of Lord Peter Wimsey], who mourns a mythical past where things like this never happened who also has a knack for using the latest technology, he solves the case most satisfactorily. Wilson’s intimate knowledge of the way New York works pays off with an ending right out of Moliere’s Misanthrope. I believe reviewers in another time would call this “A delicious romp.” I call it ‘A very good read.’” - John Guare, playwright, author of The House of Blue Leaves, Six Degrees of Separation, and Landscape of the Body; member of The Theatre Hall of Fame.
"An actor becomes an amateur sleuth in Ed Wilson’s New York-savvy detective story, an entertaining blend of Law & Order and a bold-faced version of the real world. Only the solution to several murders will reveal which among the characters are genuine art and theatre lovers and which are the fat-cat phonies and Johnny-come-latelies. Kudos to Wilson for his sparkling debut, a thriller with a social conscience and a sense of humor." - Molly Haskell, film critic, author, From Reverence to Rape, Frankly, My Dear: “Gone with the Wind” Revisited, Holding My Own in No Man’s Land, My Brother, My Sister.
“Put on your tux, pour yourself a gin, and turn up the Cole Porter… From start to finish Edwin Wilson has masterfully conjured a riveting detective mystery for the smart set. It is a captivating tale of murder and intrigue that will take you on an unforgettable journey through Manhattan’s finest locales and High Society.” - Adam Van Doren, Artist and Writer; author of An Artist in Venice and Homes of American Presidents: The House Tells the Story.
"A vivid and informed reflection of the actor’s life on stage and off, The Patron Murders is a classic fusion of narrative tension, engaging characters, and a richly textured review of contemporary culture, business, and moral values. A murder-mystery as enlightening as it is entertaining." - Sidney Offit, editor, teacher, author of Memoir of a Bookie’s Son and Friends, Writers, and Other Countrymen; Curator Emeritus of the George Polk Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 31, 2021
ببینید این کتاب کار شمارو راه میندازه در حدی اینکه یه نگاه سریع بکنید و بتونین جنبش تئاتری مورد علاقه تونو پیدا کنید یا تایم لاین های تئاتر رو تو دنیا ببینید یا تعریفای بیسیک رو از روش نگاه کنید. ولی برای کار پژوهشی و فراتر از اون به نظرم ضعیفه. بعضی وقتا تعریفای ساده لوحانه نا قص یا غلطی از واژه ها ارائه داده (مثل تعریفی که از اگزیستانسیالیست کرده مثلا). بنابراین این کتاب ادعای نقد ادبی و اینا هم نداره. صرفا یه دایره المعارف تئاتر دنیاست- که همه ی کشورارو هم نداره ولی اونایی که مهم دیده رو خلاصه اسم برده.
چیزی که میتونه جابش کنه و باعث شه تو کتابخونه نگهش دارین سادگی و خلاصگی و خصوصا تصاویرشه که واقعا قشنگشن. از اجراهای همه جای دنیا عکس با کیفیت بالا رو ورق گلاسه چاپ شده. اینش جالب و ارزشمنده. عکسای تئاتر ژاپنش واقعا ناز بود!
چیزی که میتونه جابش کنه و باعث شه تو کتابخونه نگهش دارین سادگی و خلاصگی و خصوصا تصاویرشه که واقعا قشنگشن. از اجراهای همه جای دنیا عکس با کیفیت بالا رو ورق گلاسه چاپ شده. اینش جالب و ارزشمنده. عکسای تئاتر ژاپنش واقعا ناز بود!
January 31, 2021
I read this textbook from cover to cover, as if for entertainment. With this approach—rather than how textbooks are usually read, scattered sections at a time over a semester or two—it’s easy to notice where certain information was siloed in the writing process and not strung together as a seamless whole. Repetition of terms and definitions, reference to events not yet discussed in the chapters, etc.
In short, I don’t think it’s meant to be read as I read it.
That being said, it was incredibly fascinating in style and content for the first 75% of the book. However, once it hit modern theatre, each page became a wall of biographies, play titles, awards, and venues. Lists rather than stories. It just took on a less digestible, less interesting approach, with a crammed and rushed sort of tone.
In short, I don’t think it’s meant to be read as I read it.
That being said, it was incredibly fascinating in style and content for the first 75% of the book. However, once it hit modern theatre, each page became a wall of biographies, play titles, awards, and venues. Lists rather than stories. It just took on a less digestible, less interesting approach, with a crammed and rushed sort of tone.
December 18, 2025
Used this textbook to teach my Theatre History class. Solid reference material - easy to understand and provided opportunities for creative projects tied to the text. I enjoyed reading this as more than just a textbook.
July 28, 2022
I found this textbook surprisingly engaging, and enjoyable. It helps that the history of theater is by itself particularly vibrant.
December 29, 2016
Well, this is an exciting day; I have finally finished reading the textbook I've been using to teach Theater History. However, I've only been teaching Theater History I, which, in the SUNY system, is ritual until the 19th century. I have taught that class three times, twice at the main campus and once at Sullivan Correctional Facility, a maximum prison, that we have a college program at... Anyway, I have really enjoyed using this text, and it has just about everything in it I could want. It's no "MAKING OF THEATRE HISTORY" by Paul Kuritz, which I was taught, but...it works... Paul Kuritz had more philosophy in his textbook... Kuritz's teacher Oscar Brockett wrote the text that most Theater History professors use. However, I find that textbook a bit boring, so I looked to see what my Theater History professor was using, because Kuritz's book has not been updated since 1988, and he was using this text.
Theater History I covers an enormous amount of history, and my students have told me, often, that it is the hardest class they have ever taken. The amount of work that we do in that class in one semester is the same amount that I did in five semesters at Cornish College of the Arts. But...these are different times, and I was in a conservatory-esque theater program with different/inherent "intended learning outcomes".
I will be teaching Theater History II, which, in the SUNY system, is the 19th Century forward. I didn't ever have time to complete that section of the textbook, but prepping to teach this class has forced me to do so. I knew this was coming down the pike because I had to design a theater program for SUNY Sullivan, and Theater History are two of the classes that transfer easily on the SUNY network. I added it to the track sheet for the program, and I have two students who will be "graduating" this coming semester, and they need this class. I started reading the second half of the textbook last summer, when I was teaching Theater History I at Sullivan Correctional Facility. There is a lot of "wait time" before you can be allowed to go through the gates to the prison proper. I (only) had 3 chapters left when my Christmas break started, so I've been reading 10 pages a day since then, in addition to my marathon Shakespeare reading.
I have to say, the second half of the textbook is not as good as the first, and the last 2 chapters have a lot of mistakes, and, I think, I (only) know these are mistakes because I've been working in the professional theater world for the past 15 years, and I know a lot of the artists that are mentioned, personally. The most blatant mistake was not anyone I knew, but I have read his autobiography: Laurence Olivier. They spelled his name wrong, with the "w" instead of the "u" in his first name. That really annoyed me, and (maybe) it's because I adore Laurence Olivier...and (maybe) I'm a first-name spelling snob. Students always get mad, when you don't know their names and how they are spelled, so I pay as close attention to those details as I can. Their identities are at stake...and so is Laurence's.
Other than that, I'm looking forward to designing all of the resources for this class to supplement the textbook: quizzes, take home exams, and Prezis (complete with videos of the work described in the text).
Theater History I covers an enormous amount of history, and my students have told me, often, that it is the hardest class they have ever taken. The amount of work that we do in that class in one semester is the same amount that I did in five semesters at Cornish College of the Arts. But...these are different times, and I was in a conservatory-esque theater program with different/inherent "intended learning outcomes".
I will be teaching Theater History II, which, in the SUNY system, is the 19th Century forward. I didn't ever have time to complete that section of the textbook, but prepping to teach this class has forced me to do so. I knew this was coming down the pike because I had to design a theater program for SUNY Sullivan, and Theater History are two of the classes that transfer easily on the SUNY network. I added it to the track sheet for the program, and I have two students who will be "graduating" this coming semester, and they need this class. I started reading the second half of the textbook last summer, when I was teaching Theater History I at Sullivan Correctional Facility. There is a lot of "wait time" before you can be allowed to go through the gates to the prison proper. I (only) had 3 chapters left when my Christmas break started, so I've been reading 10 pages a day since then, in addition to my marathon Shakespeare reading.
I have to say, the second half of the textbook is not as good as the first, and the last 2 chapters have a lot of mistakes, and, I think, I (only) know these are mistakes because I've been working in the professional theater world for the past 15 years, and I know a lot of the artists that are mentioned, personally. The most blatant mistake was not anyone I knew, but I have read his autobiography: Laurence Olivier. They spelled his name wrong, with the "w" instead of the "u" in his first name. That really annoyed me, and (maybe) it's because I adore Laurence Olivier...and (maybe) I'm a first-name spelling snob. Students always get mad, when you don't know their names and how they are spelled, so I pay as close attention to those details as I can. Their identities are at stake...and so is Laurence's.
Other than that, I'm looking forward to designing all of the resources for this class to supplement the textbook: quizzes, take home exams, and Prezis (complete with videos of the work described in the text).
May 22, 2011
I give this a three for a few reasons.
First, I have not thoroughly read any other comprehensive theatre history text and therefore have naught to compare it to.
Second, the history is chronological. This is appreciated. The author takes the time to describe derivations of theatre in the introduction, as well as highlight some basic differences between the Eastern and Western world. However, this book is decidely Western, and does not hide it. It is one thing to have this viewpoint, but the authors seem to have a bias and superiority complex. The Eastern culture is given few remarks and even then is rushed and made out as less important. Perhaps simply retitling the book to History of Western Theatre might help. It does not truely reflect all history.
Third, the people biographies are awful. They are dull, tedious, and do not leave me wanting to seek more information. Some are pages and pages of mundane detail, and others only get a sentence or two with unimportant facts.
Fourth, it does a nice job of organizing thousands of years of history into somewhat easy to follow categories.
First, I have not thoroughly read any other comprehensive theatre history text and therefore have naught to compare it to.
Second, the history is chronological. This is appreciated. The author takes the time to describe derivations of theatre in the introduction, as well as highlight some basic differences between the Eastern and Western world. However, this book is decidely Western, and does not hide it. It is one thing to have this viewpoint, but the authors seem to have a bias and superiority complex. The Eastern culture is given few remarks and even then is rushed and made out as less important. Perhaps simply retitling the book to History of Western Theatre might help. It does not truely reflect all history.
Third, the people biographies are awful. They are dull, tedious, and do not leave me wanting to seek more information. Some are pages and pages of mundane detail, and others only get a sentence or two with unimportant facts.
Fourth, it does a nice job of organizing thousands of years of history into somewhat easy to follow categories.
January 23, 2016
I've been wanting to embark on a mission of filling the lacuna of knowledge about various topics for awhile, so when I found this textbook about to be discarded, I picked it up and added it to the pile. It's very informative, and extremely well-ordered, with every conceivable topic on the subject of theatre covered, including the more obscure things, like the history and development of stage design and theatrical production. While the book makes the usual additions towards "inclusiveness", it by no means obscures or attempts to wholesale criticize the traditional narrative (which is a good thing, in my opinion, I don't like revisionism). My only complaint is that it's written in a very dry and unsparkling style. I feel sorry for all the drama loving students who don't have my pedant's patience when being forced to read this book. Then again, isn't that how all textbooks are written?
January 23, 2009
It is my theatre history text book. The chapters are long, but I find it all very interesting.
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September 1, 2013Third Edition
June 2, 2014
I use this book as a textbook for my Introduction to Theatre classes. It's a great introduction to theatre history.
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September 12, 2014792.09 W7478 2012
April 30, 2018
A huge book. End chapters felt rushed through with no real concentration on any particular theatre makers. But then again, we are waiting to see who will prevail as long lasting artists of this age.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews