In the tradition of the Jesuit school theater, Jacob Masen (1606-1681) has long had a reputation as a playwright second only to his countryman Bidermann. With no modern editions of his plays, and translations of the Latin original extremely limited, few readers have had direct access to Masen's theater. It presents in modern English three exemplary Masen plays: Androphilus, Maurice, and Rusticus imperans. A brief introduction places the plays within the context of Masen's life and century, and his theoretical writings on the theater. The book is the only English edition of Masen's plays.

This handbook is currently in development, with individual articles publishing online in advance of print publication. At this time, we cannot add information about unpublished articles in this handbook, however the table of contents will continue to grow as additional articles pass through the review process and are added to the site. Please note that the online publication date for this handbook is the date that the first article in the title was published online.

The relationship between the Catholic Church and theatre has a long and complicated history. This collection of fourteen critical essays seeks to demystify the ties--both practical and ideological--that have long bound Catholicism to theatrical production. This volume offers insights into medieval theatre, Jesuit drama, ballet and opera, modern stagings of medieval liturgical drama, Lorca and Lope de Vega as Catholic playwrights, Italian Catholic women's drama, Catholic play-wrighting and acting, and the unique challenges of teaching theatre in Catholic universities.