This new and updated encyclopedic guide, with over 2700 cross-referenced entries, covers all aspects of the American theatre from its earliest history to the present. Entries include people, venues and companies scattered through the USA, plays and musicals, and theatrical phenomena. Additionally, there are some 100 topical entries covering theatre in major US cities and such disparate subjects as Asian American theatre, Chicano theatre, censorship, Filipino American theatre, one-person performances, performance art, and puppetry. Major popular forms are represented in entries such as circus, burlesque, vaudeville, and tent shows. Highly illustrated, the Guide is supplemented with a thorough historical survey as introduction, a bibliography of major sources published since the compilation of the first edition, and a unique and valued biographical index covering over 3200 individuals mentioned in the text. This new edition includes hundreds of new and updated entries, making it the most up-to-date guide to American theatre available. Following the initial publication of this guide, in 1993, a paperback edition incorporating corrections and updating entries appeared in 1996. This second edition, again edited by Wilmeth, professor emeritus of theater and English at Brown University, contains more than 2,700 entries and extends the coverage of substantive information through June 2006, while briefer updates, such as death dates, are current through June 2007. In addition to updating and expanding many of the previous entries, this edition adds 340 new ones, among them Cirque du Soleil; Disney Theatrical Productions; Filipino American theatre; Kushner, Tony; and Ragtime. However, 52 entries (including Academic theatre; Bacall, Lauren; and Hogan’s Goat) that appeared in the earlier version have been omitted, the bibliographic references that accompanied many articles have been eliminated, and the number of illustrations has been reduced. Moreover, the bibliography is now intended as a complement to the more extensive listing in the first edition of the guide, and, thus, it includes only sources published since 1995. Fortunately, the useful biographical index has been retained, providing access to information on approximately 3,200 people mentioned in the text but not accorded individual entries. This compendium is similar in size and scope to the third edition of the Oxford Companion to American Theatre (2004). Although there is considerable overlap between the two works, each has unique entries, features, and strengths. For example, the Oxford Companion provides more entries on individual plays, encompassing all the recipients of major American theater awards, while The Cambridge Guide is less inclusive. On the other hand, the Cambridge compilation offers a richer variety of topical articles pertaining to such areas as theater production and types of presentations. In addition, it provides an excellent 46-page introductory survey covering the history of American theater. Well written and carefully edited, this new edition of The Cambridge Guide to American Theatre is highly recommended for all academic and public libraries and for larger high-school libraries. --Marie Ellis 'Scholarly books don't often fall in the 'must have' category. This one does.' American Drama 'A well-produced, carefully planned and researched, and gratifyingly 'user-friendly' book - a splendid contribution to our appreciation of the wealth of what American theatre is and has been.' New Theatre Quarterly 'An impressive repository of information that every student of American drama - and, more broadly, of American culture - will want to own.' Theatre Survey '…readily accessible to its intended audience: the general reader and scholars and students of American theatre in performance if not as literature. This edition is compact, thoughtfully illustrated and moderately priced. It will prove a useful addition for libraries and humanities collections.' Reference Reviews New and updated encyclopedic guide to American theatre, from its earliest history to the present. An encyclopedic history of the American theatre--a must for all students, teachers and theatregoers. Over 2300 cross-referenced entries. Don B. Wilmeth is Emeritus Professor of Theater and English at Brown University. Used Book in Good Condition