Selena Forever (stage musical) Selena Forever Stage musical adaptation of the life and career of Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla, drawn from the 1997 film and featuring Veronica Vazquez in the title role.
Set construction (theatre, film and television) Set construction Set construction is the design and building of physical scenery for theatre, film and television, covering planning, materials, personnel, safety, budget and practical production c…
Seth Gaaikema (1939–2014) Seth Gaaikema Dutch cabaret performer, writer and lyricist known for Dutch translations of major musicals and a long career in cabaret and television.
She Stoops to Conquer An overview of Oliver Goldsmith's comic play She Stoops to Conquer: plot, characters, historical premiere, style and its place in English theatre history.
Shirley Valentine — one‑woman play by Willy Russell Shirley Valentine A one-character stage play in which a Liverpool housewife speaks directly to the audience about love, identity and renewal; notable for its comic voice and later film adaptation.
Shylock: Character and Controversy in The Merchant of Venice Shylock Shylock, the Jewish moneylender in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, is a contested dramatic figure whose motives, rhetoric and fate provoke ongoing debate about antisemitism,…
Sideshow (carnival attraction) Sideshow A sideshow is a secondary attraction on circus and carnival midways presenting curiosities, oddities, and spectacle acts; its history spans popular entertainment, ethical debate, r…
Soho Theatre — London venue for new theatre, comedy and the Writers' Centre Soho Theatre Contemporary performing arts venue in Soho, London, known for new plays, stand-up comedy, cabaret and a Writers' Centre that develops writers for stage and screen.
Soliloquy: meaning, purpose, history, and distinctions in drama Soliloquy A soliloquy is a dramatic speech in which a character speaks their inner thoughts aloud to the audience. This article explains form, uses, history, notable examples and how it diff…
South Pacific (musical) A landmark Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on James A. Michener’s Tales of the South Pacific, celebrated for its score, social themes and long-running Broadway success.
Stage (performance platform) Stage A stage is a raised or designated area for performances, presentations, or work. Found in theatres, concert halls, film studios, festivals and ceremonies, stages vary by form, equi…
Stage (theatre): functions, layouts, and technical elements Stage (theatre) The stage is the performance area in a theatre. This article explains common stage layouts, parts, historical development, technical systems, and the stage's role in shaping perfor…
Stage name: purpose, types, history and legal issues Stage name A stage name is a professional or performative name adopted by an entertainer, musician, actor or performer for memorability, branding, privacy, or legal reasons. This article expl…
Stand-up comedy: form, history, formats, and cultural impact Stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a live solo performance in which a comedian delivers jokes and stories directly to an audience. This article explains its format, techniques, venues, history, an…
Stratford Festival — Major Canadian Theatre Festival in Stratford, Ontario Stratford Festival Annual theatre festival in Stratford, Ontario, founded in 1953; runs April–October and presents Shakespeare alongside classical, modern and contemporary plays in multiple venues wi…
Street theatre: public performance on the street Street theatre Street theatre is live performance presented in public spaces. This article covers its forms, techniques, history, social roles, and distinctions from other outdoor and political t…
Striptease: performance, history, and cultural context Striptease An overview of striptease as a staged form of sensual entertainment: its performance elements, historical roots, venues, social meanings, and distinctions from related practices.
Stunt performer A stunt performer is a trained specialist who executes hazardous physical actions for film, television and live shows. This article explains roles, training, history, safety practi…
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street A darkly comic and operatic musical by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, reimagining the 19th‑century Sweeney Todd legend. Noted for its score, themes of revenge, and its 1979 Bro…
Tamburlaine: Christopher Marlowe’s two-part tragedy about Timur Tamburlaine A concise encyclopedia entry on Marlowe’s Tamburlaine: its plot and structure, historical background, dramatic innovations (blank verse, rhetoric), themes of ambition and power, an…
Tartuffe (Tartuffe, ou l'Imposteur) — Molière's satire of hypocrisy Tartuffe A five-act comic play by Molière about religious hypocrisy, first staged at Versailles in 1664. Known for its satire, controversy with religious authorities, and lasting influence…
Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires) — history, architecture and cultural role Teatro Colón Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires is Argentina’s principal opera house, renowned for its horseshoe auditorium, acclaimed acoustics and long history. Reopened in 2010 after a major 2006–…
Teatro di San Carlo — historic opera house in Naples Teatro di San Carlo Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, founded 1737, is one of Italy's oldest and largest opera houses. Renowned for premieres, a horseshoe auditorium and continuous musical tradition, it…
Teatro La Fenice — Venice's historic opera house Teatro La Fenice Teatro La Fenice is Venice's principal opera house, famed for its music premieres, richly decorated auditorium and dramatic history of destruction and rebuilding symbolized by the…
Teatro Regio (Turin): history, architecture, and musical significance Teatro Regio (Turin) The Teatro Regio in Turin is a historic Italian opera house and company, noted for its 18th‑century origins, 20th‑century rebuilding, and active program of traditional and contempo…
Terrence McNally American playwright, librettist and screenwriter known for plays addressing identity, music and the human heart; four-time Tony winner who brought LGBTQ stories to mainstream theat…
Terry Hands: English theatre director and leader of the RSC Terry Hands Terence David Hands CBE (1941–2020) was an influential English theatre director who co-founded the Liverpool Everyman, led the Royal Shakespeare Company for thirteen years and help…
The Addams Family (musical) A 2010 stage musical adaptation of Charles Addams's macabre cartoon family. Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa; premiered on Broadway at the…
The Comedy of Errors A concise encyclopedic overview of Shakespeare’s early farce The Comedy of Errors: its plot, characters, classical sources, themes, performance history, and cultural impact.
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible: Salem Witch Trials as Allegory of McCarthyism The Crucible Examination of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible: a dramatic retelling of the 1692 Salem witch trials used as an allegory for McCarthy-era persecution, exploring hysteria, false accusat…
Egyptian Theatre (Boise, Idaho) The Egyptian Theater (Boise, Idaho) Historic movie palace on West Main Street in Boise, Idaho, opened in 1927; noted for Egyptian Revival decoration and continued use for films, live events, and community programming…
The Four Stages of Cruelty — William Hogarth’s moral engraving series The Four Stages of Cruelty A guide to William Hogarth’s 1751 series The Four Stages of Cruelty: its narrative plates, social and legal context, artistic characteristics, distribution and lasting significance…
The Gondoliers, or The King of Barataria The Gondoliers A comic operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan first staged at the Savoy Theatre in 1889, blending Venetian color, mistaken identity, social satire and Sullivan's exuberant choral music.
The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel — final Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Grand Duke A two-act comic operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan, premiered in 1896. The last of their fourteen works, it opened at the Savoy and remains notable for its satire, complex plot and m…
The History Boys A celebrated play by Alan Bennett about a group of British schoolboys preparing for university entrance, notable for its wit, moral questions about education, and successful stage…
The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde's 1895 comedy skewering Victorian manners, identity, and marriage through wit, mistaken identity and social satire, widely regarded as his comic masterpiece.
The Jew of Malta — Christopher Marlowe’s controversial Elizabethan drama The Jew of Malta An overview of Christopher Marlowe's The Jew of Malta: its plot and protagonist, uncertain origins and date, themes and style, performance and publication history, and critical rec…
The Killing of Sister George: play and film The Killing of Sister George A 1964 stage play adapted into a 1968 film, notable for its frank depiction of lesbian relationships, controversy over explicit content, and censorship battles that followed in the…
The King and I — Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I A two-act musical (1951) by Rodgers and Hammerstein, adapted from Margaret Landon's novel; celebrated for its score, choreography, original cast and its later film adaptation and r…
The Lion King (musical) Stage adaptation of Disney's 1994 film combining African-influenced music, large-scale puppetry and costume design; premiered on Broadway in 1997 and has become a global theatrical…
The Marriage of Figaro (play) A five-act comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, written in 1778 and first staged in 1784. A satirical portrait of class and marriage, it completes a Figaro trilogy and inspired Mozart's…
The Massacre at Paris (play) The Massacre at Paris An Elizabethan drama traditionally attributed to Christopher Marlowe, dramatizing the St. Bartholomew's Day slaughter of 1572. Known for a corrupt text, extreme violence, and conte…
The Merchant of Venice An encyclopedic overview of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice: plot, main characters, themes, textual history, controversies and adaptations across stage, screen and opera.
The Mikado (Gilbert and Sullivan operetta) The Mikado The Mikado is a two-act comic operetta by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan set in a fictional Japanese town; premiered in 1885, it is noted for its satire, memorable songs, and la…
The Misanthrope — Molière's comedy of manners The Misanthrope A concise account of Molière's Le Misanthrope (The Misanthrope), its plot, characters, form and lasting importance as a satire of social hypocrisy first staged in 1666.
The Miser (L'Avare) — Molière's comedy of greed and folly The Miser A clear, concise encyclopedia entry on Molière's The Miser (L'Avare): its plot, characters, sources, themes, performance history and lasting influence on theatre.
The Music Man: Meredith Willson’s American Musical The Music Man A full overview of The Music Man — Meredith Willson’s 1957 Broadway musical: plot, songs, original cast, productions, film adaptations, influence, and notable facts.
The Phantom of the Opera (musical) Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical adaptation of Gaston Leroux's novel, known for its romantic score, lavish staging and long-running international success.
