How should we study drama? What possibilities and limitations does the genre present? Beginning with an examination of A Dolls House, the conventions of which frame much of serious television drama, the book goes on to explore issues of characterization, transmission from page to stage, authorship and the construction and deconstruction of the genre. It considers the uses of space and in a final chapter examines the varieties and functions of play. Complex ideas and technical terms are introduced in a way that should give the reader a secure preliminary understanding, with constant reference to a range of plays and to their dramatic interpretation.