European Stages

Established in 1989, Western European Stages was an indispensable resource for keeping abreast of the latest theatre developments in Western Europe. Each issue contains a wealth of information about European festivals and productions, including reviews, interviews, and reports. Winter issues focus on the theatre in individual countries or on special themes, and all issues include news of forthcoming events: the latest in changes in artistic directorships, new plays and playwrights, outstanding performances, and directorial interpretations.

The European continent has undergone radical changes during this quarter century. When WES was founded, Eastern and Western Europe were two quite distinct political and theatrical spheres. With the disappearance of the Russian control in the East, the rise of the European Union, and the rapid increase of productions combining the artists from a variety of countries, east and west, this cold war division today is largely a historical memory politically and theatrically. Thus, in 2013, Western European Stages and Slavic and East European Performance combined their activities to reflect this more integrated continent, and metamorphosed into European Stages. ES is published in a digital format, which can be accessed here.

Edited by Distinguished Professor Marvin Carlson.

“This wonderful and unique publication is a record of contemporary Western European theatrical performance. It is an apt substitute for a country-by-country collection of performance record publications, something only the largest academic libraries can support…given its price and coverage, any academic or special library with an active performance community should consider its purchase.” – Bowker’s Magazines for Libraries