Christian Biet and Christophe Triau focus on the practical, theoretical, and historical positions that the spectator and the reader have had in relation to the locations that they frequent and the texts that they handle; this allows us to better understand the ties that link those who participate in the theatre to the practitioners who create it.

Christian Biet is Professor of Performing Arts, Theatrical and Drama Aesthetics and French Studies, University of Paris-Nanterre and the Institut Universitaire de France. He is also a regular visiting professor at NYU, and a member of the editorial committee of the French theatrical review Théâtre/Public and of Littératures classiques. Recent books include Théâtre de la cruauté et récits sanglants (France XVIe-XVIIe siècle) [Theatre of Cruelty and Bloody Stories (France, from the End of the Sixteenth Century to the Beginning of the Seventeenth)] (2006), Tragédies et récits de martyres (France, fin XVIe-début XVIIe siècle) [Tragedies and Martyrs' Tales (France, from the End of the Sixteenth Century to the Beginning of the Seventeenth)] with M.-M. Fragonard (2009) and Le Théâtre du XVIIe siècle [Seventeenth-Century Theatre] (2009). He has recently worked on several issues of Théâtre/Public including topics covering Chinese theatre, "Penser le Spectateur" ["Thinking About the Spectator"] (no. 208, May 2013); Flemish performance, "Carte Blanche à Olivier Py" ["Carte Blance for Olivier Py"] (no. 213, June 2014); and repertory, "Le répertoire aujourd'hui" ["Stock Theatre Today"] (no. 225, June 2017); and also an issue of Communications on the theoretical question of performance (no. 92, 2013).

Christophe Triau is Professor of Theatrical Studies at the University of Paris-Nanterre. He also works as a dramaturge. His PhD was on seventeenth-century French theatre, and his work now focuses mostly on contemporary theatre, especially dramaturgy and aesthetics of stage direction. He has edited many collective publications and issues of reviews such as Alternatives théâtrales (and is a member of its editorial committee) and Théâtre/Public (in particular, the biannual "Etats de la scène actuelle" issues, in collaboration with O. Neveux) and has written widely about contemporary stage directors, most recently a book on Joel Pommerat's Cendrillon (2013).

Part 1: Introduction 1. Points of View Part 2: On going to the theatre 2. Places and spaces: definitions 3. The theatrical space : a concreate space 4. The architectural space Part 3: Evolution of locations and spaces. 5. Some kinds of locations and spaces 6. Social space and the matter of perspective 7. On the location and space of the stage Part 4: What to do in the theatre?: the functioning of the theatrical space? 8. Description and lexicon of the traditional theatrical space 9. Other stages, other devices 10. The coordinates of the staging location 11. The technical elements and materials of the staging location 12. On the danger of analysing everything Part 5: Time, rhythm and tempo Part 6: The body, acting and illusion Part 7: The dramatic text Part 8: Staging: heritage, questions 13. The age of all powers14. The experience of relativity 15. Theatricality up close: an illusion-free theatre? Conclusion Postface: The economic and political positioning of the theatre, by Emmanuel Wallon. Bibliography Acknowledgements Table of Contents ? ? ? ? ?