Foreword James R. Brandon; Timeline Rachel Payne; Editor's introduction Jonah Salz; Part I. Traditional Theatres: Preface to Part I Laurence Kominz; 1. Ancient and early medieval performing arts Terauchi Naoko; Interlude: katari narrative traditions: from storytelling to theatre Alison Tokita; 2. Noh and Muromachi culture Shinko Kagaya and Miura Hiroko; Interlude: noh and kyogen costumes and masks Monica Bethe; 3. Kyogen: classical comedy Jonah Salz; Interlude: iemoto: the family head system Eric C. Rath; 4. Kabuki: superheroes and femmes fatales Julie Iezzi; Interlude: nihonbuyô: classical dance Paul Griffith and Okada Mariko; Interlude: Okinawan theatre: boundary of Japanese theatre Suzuki Masae; 5. Bunraku: puppet theatre Goto Shizuo; Interlude: misemono and rakugo: sideshows and storytelling Matthew W. Shores; Interlude: kamigata gein¿: Kyoto-Osaka style Gondo Yoshikazu; Interlude: traditional theatre tomorrow: interview with Takemoto Mikio Shinko Kagaya; Part II. Modern Theatres: Preface to Part II Brian Powell; 6. Birth of modern theatre: Shimpa and shingeki Brian Powell; Interlude: new comedy, Asakusa opera, OSK musicals Nakano Masaaki; Interlude: Takarazuka: all-girls' revue and musicals Yamanashi Makiko; 7. Rise of shingeki: western-style theatre Guohe Zheng; Interlude: manzai and yoshimoto comedy vaudeville Joel Stocker; 8. Wartime colonial and traditional theatre Samuel L. Leiter; Interlude: kami-shibai: picture-card storytelling Washitani Hana; 9. Maturing shingeki theatre Guohe Zheng; Interlude: post-war musicals and commercial theatre Kevin Wetmore; 10. Sixties theatre Kan Takayuki; Interlude: butoh: dance of darkness and light Bruce Baird; 11. Contemporary theatre M. Cody Poulton; Interlude: Tokyo: world theatre capital Iwaki Kyoko; Interlude: charting Tokyo theatre today: 24 November 2012 Iwaki Kyoko; Interlude: modern theatre tomorrow: interview with Hirata Oriza Iwaki Kyoko; Part III. Arcs and Patterns: 12. Pre-modern playwriting practices Laurence Kominz; 13. Traditional meta-patterns Jonah Salz; 14. Modern drama as literature J. Thomas Rimer; 15. Modern meta-patterns Mari Boyd; Interlude: D¿j¿ji: the lady and the bell Laurence Kominz; Part IV. Theatre Architecture: Preface to Part IV Jonah Salz; 16. Pre-modern patterns of spectatorship and space Shimizu Hiroyuki; 17. Modernization of theatrical space, 1868-1940 Samuel L. Leiter and Nagai Satoko; 18. Post-war theatres: development and diversification Otsuki Atsushi; Interlude: national theatres and funding Barbara E. Thornbury; Part V. Theatre Criticism: 19. Practitioner principles, Zeami to Chikamatsu William Lee; 20. Pre-modern criticism, research, and training Nakano Masaaki; 21. English language scholarship: a critical overview David Jortner; Interlude: university scholarship and training Nakano Masaaki; Part VI. Intercultural Influences: 22. Seven stages of Shakespeare reception Daniel Gallimore and Minami Ryuta; 23. Traditional training internationally Jonah Salz; 24. Intercultural theatre: fortuitous encounters Jonah Salz; Interlude: early influence from Europe Yoshihara Yukari; Interlude: interview with Ninagawa Yukio: Asian energy vs. European rationality Mika Eglinton; Epilogue: frozen words and mythology Eugenio Barba.