This text provides an introduction to literary theory as it relates to theatre and performance. Mark Fortier examines current theoretical approaches, from semiotics and poststructuralism to cultural materialism, postcolonial studies and feminist theory. Drawing upon examples from Shakespeare and Aphra Behn, to Chekhov, Artaud, Cixous and Churchill, the author examines the specific realities of theatre in order to come to a richer understanding of the relations between performance and cultural theory.