This introductory course focuses on the guiding principles of the theatrical creation within the medieval and Renaissance cultures. Christianity, which dominated the western world right from the beginning of the Middle Ages, influenced the shaping of distinctive dramatic and theatrical forms, which are still perceived as 'alternative theatre’ to this day. We shall explore the cultural views that led to the formation of this theatrical model and the return to the classical model of the Italian renaissance, and then the distinctive combination of these two models during the English renaissance.