More than mere entertainment, German theater was a crucial component of culture—often influencing society and politics in German-speaking countries—whose influence gradually reached much further with the emergence of outstanding playwrights like Goethe, Schiller, Hauptmann, and Brecht, as well as exceptional dramas such as Faust and The Threepenny Opera. The Historical Dictionary of German Theater covers the field of theater performance in the German language, concentrating on German-speaking Europe, through a chronology, a list of acronyms and abbreviations, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and several hundred cross-referenced dictionary entries on significant playwrights, directors, producers, designers, actors, plays, theaters, cities, dramatic genres, and movements such as the Sturm und Drang, Naturalism, and Expressionism.