A Sourcebook on Feminist Theatre and Performance - Essential

In this review of A Sourcebook on Feminist Theatre and Performance, the reviewer finds a substantially curated collection ideal for students and practitioners seeking historical and practical context. Compiling influential essays from The Drama Review alongside interviews and full performance texts, the book's single biggest strength is its juxtaposition of theory and practice, which offers a rare, consolidated view of feminist theatre's development. For those studying performance, gender, or theatre history, this sourcebook functions as both a syllabus-ready reader and a reference that brings seminal voices together in one volume.

Key Features

• Curated essays: Brings together key articles from The Drama Review to map major theoretical developments in feminist theatre, giving readers a clear line of scholarly conversation.
• Practitioner interviews: Includes interviews with practitioners such as Anna Deavere Smith and Robbie McCauley, which provide first-person insight into creative process and performance choices.
• Full performance texts: Reprints complete works like Dress Suits to Hire and The Constant State of Desire, allowing readers to study original material alongside critical commentary.
• Theory-practice balance: Carol Martin's organization emphasizes how critical writing and staged work inform each other, useful for course design or research frameworks.
• Representative authors: Features influential theorists including Elin Diamond, Peggy Phelan and Lynda Hart, making the collection a strong starting point for advanced reading lists.

Who It's For

The book is best suited for students of theatre studies, performance studies, and women's theatre who need a compact archive of seminal texts and examples of performance writing. Instructors can adopt it as a course reader because it pairs theory with scripts and practitioner testimony in one volume.

Researchers and general readers interested in feminist cultural history will find rich material here, but those seeking step-by-step practical staging guides or contemporary performance methodologies focused on digital media should look elsewhere, as the collection emphasizes historical and critical perspectives over technical production manuals.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Comprehensive assembly of influential essays and voices that map feminist theatre scholarship in one place.
• Includes full performance texts, allowing direct engagement with works central to the movement.
• Practitioner interviews add practical perspective and complement theoretical essays effectively.

Cons

• The focus is archival and critical rather than how-to, so it may not satisfy readers seeking production-level guidance.

Specifications

Title	A Sourcebook on Feminist Theatre and Performance
Editor	Carol Martin
Contents	Collected TDR articles, interviews, full performance texts
Included authors	Elin Diamond, Peggy Phelan, Lynda Hart, et al.
Notable scripts	Dress Suits to Hire; The Constant State of Desire
Intended audience	Students and scholars of theatre and performance

Our Verdict

This sourcebook is a valuable, well-curated reference for anyone studying feminist theatre because it places critical essays, interviews, and full scripts side by side to reveal lines of influence and debate. It is good value for students and instructors who need a single volume that supports both classroom reading and research, though readers after technical staging instruction will need supplementary resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this collection include full plays?
Yes. The book reprints full performance texts, including Dress Suits to Hire and The Constant State of Desire.

Is this suitable for undergraduate courses?
Yes. The mix of theory, interviews, and scripts makes it well suited as a course reader for theatre and performance classes.

Does it provide practical staging guidance?
No. The focus is critical and archival; practical production manuals are not the book's emphasis.