Extends beyond traditional theater to include opera, film, dance, radio, and even circuses, rituals, and parades. The 4,300 alphabetically arranged entries span all time periods, starting with ancient Greek theater to the present, and are international and cross-cultural in scope. Entries range from a small paragraph to several pages; only the longer entries have brief bibliographies. There is, however, a general bibliography, divided up geographically and consisting of only monographs, at the end of volume 2.
Almost half of the subject matter consists of biographical entries on actors, playwrights, directors, designers, company managers, and critics. Ten percent consists of city and regional entries (Istanbul, Philadelphia). The rest consists of concepts and theories; styles and movements; historical themes; organizations and institutions; buildings and material elements; and media issues. There is a "Selective Index of Dramatic Titles" that lists works and the entries in which they are mentioned (for example, Rent is discussed in the Musical play entry). This helps to compensate for the fact that there are no main entries on individual play titles.-Booklist
