A uniquely interactive text covering the requirements of undergraduate and diploma courses in theatre, drama and performing arts, which incorporates both theoretical and practical work in a single volume. Designed to encourage critical thinking, this book is a guide to the practical work, reading and projects that you will embark on as part of your course. Highly accessible and absorbing, features include: learning outcomes, activities, topics for discussion and suggestions for further reading rare illustrations to explore the key aspects of studying the theatre on-page checklists of concepts and ideas a companion website-www.palgrave.com/foundations/pickering-which provides additional material to consolidate learning Intended to help you maximize your potential as a theatre studies student and get the most out of your course, the book begins by establishing some definitions of the phenomenon of 'Theatre', and moves onto a lively consideration of acting, writing and devising. The authors provide fascinating examples of theatre at work throughout the text, as they explore the relationships between performances, performance spaces and audience expectations. Book jacket.