The critical essays in this volume provide varied yet interconnected responses to the debates in the field of modern theatre. Presenting perspectives and theoretical and political statements on drama by playwrights and critics from the late nineteenth century onwards, they reveal the multifaceted formations of modern Indian theatre. They deal with questions relating to the way the theatre addressed issues of class, caste and gender and how the ‘nation’ came to be imagined at different times. They capture the response of the theatre to domination of the mass media, influence of Western media in India and the meanings of scenery, performance spaces and language. The volume offers the views of noted playwrights like Rabindranth Tagore, Satya Prasad Barua and Mahesh Dattani among others.