Setting the Scene

During the twentieth century, an increasingly diverse range of buildings and spaces was used for theatre. Theatre architecture was re-formed by new approaches to staging and performance, while theatre was often thought to have a reforming role in society. Innovation was accompanied by the revival and reinterpretation of older ideas. This book explores theatre architecture in a variety of contexts, from detailed discussions of key architects’ work to broader surveys of theatre in West Germany and Japan. Together these essays shed new light on this complex building type and also contribute to the wider architectural history of the twentieth century.