This edition of The Tempest is the first dedicated to its stage history. Drawing on a wide variety of sources, it examines four centuries of mainstream, regional, and fringe productions in Britain (including Dryden and Davenant's Restoration adaptation), nineteenth- and twentieth-century American stagings, and recent Australian, Canadian, French, Italian, and Japanese productions. In a substantial, illustrated Introduction Dymkowski analyses the cultural significance of changes in the play's theatrical representation, for example, when and why Caliban began to be represented by a black actor, and Ariel became a man's role rather than a woman's. The commentary annotates each line of the play with details about acting, setting, textual alteration and cuts, and contemporary reception. With extensive quotation from contemporary commentators and detail from unpublished promptbooks, the edition offers both an accessible account of the play's changing meanings and a valuable resource for further research.

'I cannot imagine anyone who either intends to stage The Tempest or to write about it from a performance-oriented point of view who would not profit from consulting this text.' Shakespeare Quarterly
'A valuable tool for readers of Shakespeare as well as stage practitioners and playgoers. Highly recommended for all collections.' Choice
'Few titles can lay claim to the encyclopaedic range and comprehensiveness exhibited by the CUP's Shakespeare in Production series.' Contemporary Theatre Review
'I cannot recommend too highly the whole series (a bargain at £16.99 for each play) to all theatre lovers, theatregoers, theatre practitioners, and anybody who enjoys Shakespeare.' Robert Tanitch, What's on in London