This book investigates the complex relationship between Shakespearean performance history and the physical, textual, and anecdotal remnants preserved in archives. Barbara Hodgdon, a scholar of performance studies, utilizes a methodology that bridges traditional literary analysis with the practical realities of theater production. She argues that the archive is not a static repository but a dynamic space where the history of performance is continuously reconstructed and reinterpreted through the interaction of scripts, actors' notes, and cultural memory.

Scholars and theater historians frequently cite this work as a significant contribution to the field of performance studies for its focus on the materiality of theater. The text is recognized for its academic rigor and its ability to synthesize archival research with the ephemeral nature of live performance.