Howard Barker is widely recognised as one of the most important playwrights of contemporary European theatre, and remains the only living UK playwright to have a company devoted exclusively to his work.

This companion begins with an overview of Barker's long career to date, identifying key themes, approaches and features of his work. It examines Barker's major plays written and performed between 1983 and 2012 in detail, considering the plays as performance texts, with discussions of productions, staging and their critical reception. Barker's extensive writing on his own work is reviewed and the book features critical perspectives from a number of individuals who have worked as director, actor or designer on his work.