Now in its 4th edition, this is an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the critical study of drama. Using familiar examples of classic and contemporary works such as Shakespeare's King Lear, Ibsen's A Doll's House and Timberlake Wertenbaker's Our Country's Good, the book explores the essential elements of play texts, from character, dialogue and plot to theatrical space. With more in depth guidance on how to study plays in and as performance, both live and in recordings available online, the 4th edition of Studying Plays now includes: * new examples throughout the book drawn from a range of 21st-century plays by established and emergent writers for diverse theatres and companies * new explorations of how plays structure and engage audience response * a complete new section on the analysis of theatre of witness and testimony; monodrama; and postdramatic texts.