The present volume contains studies on Dutch, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish theatre. All contributions focus on specific aspects of the transition of medieval to Renaissance theatre. Plays such as the Passion d'Alsfeld or Mystery des Actes des Apôtres have their roots in traditional medieval religious theatre. However, the presence of new ideas cannot be ignored. Machiavelli's "Mandragola", though exploiting standard medieval clichés, shows the impact of the new perception of man. The same can be said of the plays of 16th-century Dutch Rhetoricians, or of 16th-century English authors who draw their inspiration from Seneca's tragedies. Their products are manifestations of a new theatrical spirit evincing different conceptions based on the imitation of classical theatrical modes. The studies included in this volume give an excellent description of the evolution of spectacle in 15th/16th-century Europe. Contents: Die Regie als gestaltene und Symbolstiftende Instanz des Alsfelder Passionsspiels; Passionsspiel und Predigt in deutscher Sprache; Un exemplaire du Mystère des Actes des Apôtres annoté au XVIe siècle; Il teatro volgare nell'Italia del secondo '400; Mandragola: Considerazioni sulla traduzione a partire dal titolo; Artificio y maravilla en el teatro medieval catalán: el mundo del espectáculo en Tirant lo Blanc; Las églogas de tema amoroso de Juan del Encina: del juego al drama de amor; Finding Needles in a Haystack: Elements of Change in the Transition from Medieval to Renaissance Drama in the Low Countries; Structure as a Means to Audience Identification in the Dutch Rederijker Drama; Van Incommen en begheert men Scat noch Goet: Cornelis Everaert and the Rosary; The Stage Façade Reflected in Narcissus ende Echo of Colijn Caillieu (ca. 1503); Directing Apius and Virginia; Aspects of the Impact of Senecan Tragedy in England (1550-1590); Traditions of Female Impersonations in Early-Modern Theatre