The Routledge Reader in Gender and Performance blends some of the most influential and widely-known work on gender and performing arts, with exciting and provocative new writings in the field. A must for anyone interested in theatre and performance art, this collection addresses complex questions about gender, from the history of women's involvement in the theatre to modern preoccupations with the body. Divided topically, each section opens with a piece that links the essays included. Some issues covered include women's stage work, women's bodies on stage, feminist approaches, comparative perspectives, women's status in the theater, and the reception and reviewing of women's dramatic work. The collection takes a thoroughly international approach with specially commissioned articles of post-Apartheid South Africa and post-communist Russia. It also reviews ways in which sexuality has been explored and expressed in new forms of performance art and dance. Essential reading for feminists, theater enthusiasts and theater and art practitioners, this reader is the most up-to-date resource for the exploration of gender and performance.