Why theatre history? / David Wiles -- Modernist theatre / Stefan Hulfeld -- Baroque to romantic theatre / Christopher Baugh -- Medieval, renaissance and early modern theatre / David Wiles -- Classical theatre / Erika Fischer-Lichte -- Liverpool / Ros Merkin -- Finland / S. E. Wilmer -- Egypt / Hazem Azmy -- Traditional theatre : the case of Japanese Noh / Diego Pellecchia -- Reflections on a global theatre history / Marvin Carlson -- The audience / Willmar Sauter -- The art of acting / Josette Féral -- Music theatre and musical theatre / Zachary Dunbar -- Circus / Marius Kwint -- The nature of historical evidence : a case study / Thomas Postlewait -- The visual record : the case of Hamlet / Barbara Hodgdon -- Museums, archives and collecting / Fiona Macintosh -- Re:enactment / Gilli Bush-Bailey -- The internet : history 2.0? / Jacky Bratton and Grant Tyler Peterson.