Documenting history is a labor of love for those who choose to take that journey and can be both inspirational and educational. From stories in American history where soldiers fought valiantly for freedom, or something as simple as discovering an authentic transcription of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream; documenting history provides information about the past. While some scholars may not consider it as important as most areas of history, theater historiography is a thriving area. Joseph Donohue, author of “Evidence and Documentation”, believes that the study of theater history is a young discipline. However, it is necessary to pay attention to the scholar's methods, theory and practice. In “Evidence and Documentation” Donohue sets out to demonstrate that the theater scholar's attempt to cite evidence and adequate documentation is seriously problematic because the notion of what evidence and documentation mean is flawed. Donohue builds his argument by providing the reader with the definitions of evidence and documentation and how most scholars use these definitions. Donohue then explains why these definitions are questionable. Documentation, Donohue suggests, is general information until it is used in a way that seeks to create new knowledge or change the reader's perception of what is already learned. Donohue denies broad definitions of these two terms and provides what he believes to be very effective definitions of evidence and documentation. He states that “the ultimate question is always what the scholar who uses it does with it…the question is ultimately one that has to do with interpretation, with history” (Donohue 181). Continuing to strengthen his argument, Donohue brings to light the authority of some...... middle of paper......fullness and with great accuracy. If the scholar remains accountable to all four of these obligations, Donohue believes that historians as a whole will be very effective scholars. Although some points of Donohue's argument are dated and reflect the sentiments of the time in which the article was published, his argument as a whole is very effective. If scholars want theater history to be as precise an art as possible, they should follow Donahue's suggestion and examine how a conclusion is formed. Building on the previous foundations and working from them, the scholar's work, while enjoyable, should remain challenging, but should ultimately prove to be a very precise and meticulous art. Works Cited Donohue, Joseph. "Evidence and documentation". Interpreting the theatrical past.Ed. Thomas Postlewait and Bruce A. McConachie. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1989