Kathryn Mederos Syssoyeva's and Scott Proudfit's volume of essays on the history of collective creation is an important piece of scholarship that illuminates instances of collective theatre pre-dating the more visible strains of such performance that began in the 1960s. The editors demonstrate that collective creation not only precedes the 1960s, it is also not necessarily bound to a particular ideology, as other scholars have contended.

A History of Collective Creation's chapters are organized around a chronology beginning with early experiments in collective creation by Stanislavsky and Meyerhold in 1905, and concluding with the 1980s. This does not necessarily suggest a transmission of collective-creation practices from one group to the next, though the influence of certain figures or practices on subsequent groups can certainly be seen. Instead, the editors reveal a much broader historical scope of what may be considered collective creation than has been previously addressed by studies focused on the past fifty years. Although the editors admittedly limit their focus to Western theatre out of practical necessity, the book is an important step into a far broader understanding of collective-creation practices.

One of the most stimulating aspects of this work is the inclusion of companies like Reduta in Poland, which may be less well known to readers. This case study serves to open avenues of further exploration in the history of collective creation. Additionally, early Chicano theatre, including groups such as Teatro Campesino, receives insightful coverage. While the book is concerned primarily with instances of collective creation outside the 1960s, the work of better-known collective-creation groups such as the Open Theatre and Théâtre du Soleil are also discussed. In particular, the chapter on the Open Theatre argues that shared ideas of space and the influence of Viola Spolin's improvisation exercises are common themes among off-off-Broadway groups and playwrights.

A History of Collective Creation addresses an important need in the study of collective creation, devised theatre, and improvisational theatre by illuminating the fact that these methods of theatre-making are not limited to the latter half of the last century. The editors show quite successfully that these practices, in some form or fashion, have existed for over a century at least, and their volume serves to provide important entry points for further research into some of the lesser-known instances of collective creation.