The Oxford Companion to the Theatre

The range of the book is international and it places a wealth of information right at the reader's fingertips. There are entries on dramatists, from Plautus and Ibsen to August Wilson and Václav Havel; actors and actresses, from Sarah Bernhardt to Laurence Olivier and Anthony Hopkins;
directors, such as Peter Brook, Peter Hall, and Mike Nichols; theaters, from Shakespeare's Globe to the Palais Royal in Paris and the Lunt-Fontanne in New York; and critics, such as Kenneth Tynan and Clive Barnes. In addition, there are entries on theater styles, drama festivals, and fascinating
details about everything from theater companies, designers, and producers to winners of the Pulitzer Prize. The more technical aspects of theater are also covered, for example lighting, sound, method acting, and the different parts of a stage, and a complete system of cross-referencing makes it
particularly easy for readers to find what they are looking for.