The world of theatre criticism is rapidly changing in its form, function and modes of operation in the twenty-first century. Even though the history of professional theatre criticism can only be traced back to the nineteenth century and the growth of the newspaper industry, its influence has been significant in the fields of arts marketing, theatre production, theatre history and aesthetic theory alike. The dominance of the internet has led to a growing trend of self-appointed theatre critics and bloggers who are changing the focus and purpose of the discussion around live performance. Even though the “blogosphere” has garnered some suspicion and hostility from the mainstream newspaper critics, it has also provided some interesting intellectual and ideological challenges to the increasingly conservative profile of the professional critic. This book features twenty internationally commissioned contributions from scholars and arts journalists, and is structured into five sections: histories and theories of theatre criticism; cultural and political contexts of theatre criticism; genres of theatre criticism; practices of theatre criticism; and critics' voices. Together, the contributors provide a broad-ranging and comprehensive overview of the various issues concerning theatre criticism today including histories, politics, cultural variations, changing functions, practices and emerging new media-specific genres. The book features a general introduction by its editor, Duška Radosavljevic.