This three-volume set explores the rich and complex histories of English, Scottish and Welsh theatres from early Britain to the present. Volume 1 begins in Roman Britain and ends with Charles II's restoration to the throne imminent. Volume 2 begins in 1660 with the restoration of King Charles II to the throne and the re-establishment of the professional theatre, interdicted since 1642, and follows the far-reaching development of the form over two centuries and more to 1895. Volume 3 explores the rich and complex histories of English, Scottish and Welsh theatres in the 'long' twentieth century since 1895. Original essays written by leading British and American historians and critics investigate the major aspects of theatrical performance, combining an interest in the written drama with an understanding of the material conditions of the evolving professional theatre that the drama helped to sustain.