The origins of theatre - Theatre and drama in ancient Greece - Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine theatre - European theatre in the Middle Ages - English theatre to 1642 - Spanish theatre to 1700 - Italian theatre to 1700 - French theatre to 1700 - English theater to 1800 - Italy and France to 1800 - Northern European theatre to 1800 - Continental European theatre in the early nineteenth century - English-language theatre in the early nineteenth century - English-language theatre in the late nineteenth century - Continental European and Latin American theatre in the late nineteenth century - The beginnings of modern realism - Alternatives to realism - Continental European and Latin American theatre in the early twentieth century - English-language theatre in the early twentieth century - Continental European and Latin American theatre in the mid twentieth century - English-language theatre in the in the mid twentieth century - Continental European and Latin American theatre in the late twentieth century - English-language theatre in the late twentieth century - Contemporary theatre - The theatre of Africa - The theatre of Asia