The volume focuses on directors who began their careers mainly around the time of the regime changes in Eastern Europe, and presents the careers of twenty theatre directors who have had a decisive influence on the theatrical landscape of their countries, regions, and the European continent in the past decades. Chapters of similar length and structure review the years of education and the early steps, then report on national and international successes, and the milestones of their careers. The essays summarise in headings the artistic credo of the directors, the most important features of their aesthetics, placing their work in historical, social, and artistic context.