On the Art of the Theatre

First published in 1911, On the Art of the Theatre remains one of the seminal texts of theatre theory and practice.

Actor, director, designer and pioneering theorist, Edward Gordon Craig was one of twentieth century theatre’s great modernisers. Here, he is eloquent and entertaining in expounding his views on the theatre; a crucial and prescient contribution that retains its relevance almost a century later.

This reissue contains a wealth of new features:

• a specially written Introduction and notes from editor Franc Chamberlain
• an updated bibliography
• further reading.

Controversial and original, On the Art of the Theatre stands as one of the most influential books on theatre of the twentieth century.

Edward Gordon Craig (1872-1966) was the son of an actor and an architect, and his celebrated career was a synthesis of the two professions. Aside from a prolific career in theatrical writing and direction, he is best known for his pioneering work in set design, not least the feted 1912 production of Hamlet, with Konstantin Stanislavski’s Moscow Arts Theatre.

Franc Chamberlain is Lecturer in Drama and Theatre Studies at University College Cork and Visiting Professor in Performance Studies and Creative Practice at the University of Northampton. He is author of Michael Chekhov (Routledge, 2003), co-editor of Jacques Lecoq and the British Theatre (Routledge, 2002), and editor of the Routledge Performance Practitioners series.