This edition of The Tempest is the first dedicated to its stage history. Dymkowski examines four centuries of mainstream, regional, and fringe productions in Britain, nineteenth- and twentieth-century American stagings, and recent Australian, Canadian, French, Italian, and Japanese productions. She analyzes the cultural significance of changes in theatrical representation, eg. when and why Caliban began to be represented by a black actor, and Ariel became a man's role rather than a woman's. The commentary annotates each line of the play with details about acting, setting, textual alteration and contemporary reception.