This collection of essays investigates the relation between race and theatre, how the performing arts have articulated and/or mirrored understandings of race in the modern and contemporary world, and how (or whether) racial issues – both at a community and institutional level – have impacted on, or have, in turn, been affected by theatrical representations of race. 

This will be the first comprehensive publication on the subject, with 26 essays on case studies that will shed light on areas previously neglected by criticism, while providing fresh perspectives on already investigated contexts. The volume is organized in two parts - the first examines specific historical contexts, while the second focuses on the visual construction of race and has a more thematic focus. Ultimately, this collection frames the history of racial discourses on stage in a global context, resetting understandings of race in public discourse.