Theatre History Studies is a peer-reviewed journal of theatre history and scholarship published annually since 1981 by the Mid-American Theatre Conference (MATC), a regional body devoted to theatre scholarship and practice.  The conference encompasses the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. The purpose of the conference is to unite persons and organizations within the region with an interest in theatre and to promote the growth and development of all forms of theatre.

THS is a member of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals and is included in the MLA Directory of Periodicals. THS is indexed in Humanities Index, Humanities Abstracts, Book Review Index, MLA International Bibliography, International Bibliography of Theatre, Arts & Humanities Citation Index, IBZ International Bibliography of Periodical Literature, and IBR International Bibliography of Book Reviews. Full texts of essays appear in the databases of both Humanities Abstracts Full Text as well as SIRS.

Robert A. Schanke is a Professor Emeritus of Theatre at Central College, Iowa, where he served for twenty-seven years. A native Iowan, he received his BA from Midland College in Nebraska and both his MA and Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska.

He edited the international journal Theatre History Studies from 1993 to 2005. He served as a Vice-President for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (2000-2002) and served as President of the LGBT (Lesbian/Gay/Bi/Transgendered) Focus Group of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education.

He is the author of Ibsen in America: A Century of Change, Eva Le Gallienne: A Bio-Bibliography, Shattered Applause: The Lives of Eva Le Gallienne, (a finalist for both the Lambda Literary Award and the Barnard Hewitt Award for theater research), “That Furious Lesbian”: The Story of Mercedes de Acosta (winner of the ForeWord magazine Book of the Year award in the best gay and lesbian nonfiction category), and a collection of essays titled Angels in the American Theater: Patrons, Patronage, and Philanthropy. He coedited with Kim Marra Passing Performances: Queer Readings of Leading Players in American Theater History, Staging Desire: Queer Readings of American Theater History, and The Gay and Lesbian Theatrical Legacy. He has contributed to numerous reference books and anthologies, including Women in American Theatre, Cambridge Guide to American Theatre, and Shakespeare Around the Globe. His articles on theater history have appeared in Theatre Survey, Theatre Topics, Southern Theatre, and Central States Speech Journal.

Besides his writing, he has directed theatre productions in England, Wales, and Mexico. Several universities have invited him to present guest lectures on their campuses. He is a Fellow of the Mid-America Theatre Conference and was honored with Alumni Achievement Awards by both Midland College and the University of Nebraska. In 2003 he was elected into the National Theatre Conference, and in 2004 he was elected into membership of the College of Fellows of the American Theatre and also received the “Excellence in Editing” Award from the Association for Theatre in Higher Education. He is currently serving as Vice-President for Awards for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education.

“This established annual is a major contribution to the scholarly analysis and historical documentation of international drama. Refereed, immaculately printed and illustrated . . . . The subject coverage ranges from the London season of 1883 to the influence of David Belasco on Eugene O’Neill.”—CHOICE

“International in scope but with an emphasis on American, British, and Continental theater, this fine academic journal includes seven to nine scholarly articles dealing with everything from Filipino theater during the Japanese occupation to numerous articles on Shakespearean production to American children’s theater. . . . an excellent addition for academic, university, and large public libraries.”—Magazines for Libraries, 6th Edition