The Language of Theatre

Theatre has provided many words and meanings which we use--ignorant of their origins--in everyday writing and speech. This is the first book to explore 2,000 theatre terms in depth, in some cases tracing their history over two and a half millenia, in others exploring expressions less than a decade old. Terms are defined, shown in use and cross-referenced in ways which will fascinate theatre- goers, and encourage those actively engaged in the theatre to examine the familiar from new angles.