“History exists only when it is “made” by the historian.” (Vince, 65). According to RW Vince, it is very easy for researchers to get lost between “fact” and “interpretation” when documenting the history of theater. Even when scholars discover identical information, they may each have their own personal explanations for why these facts exist. In turn, readers must exercise critical analysis when studying scholarly research and not fall into the trap of seeing the story from the author's point of view. Personally, I believe that Leslie Read's chapter on “The Beginnings of Theater in Africa and the Americas” is both fact- and hypothesis-oriented, and should be examined from many angles. In the first part of the chapter, Read describes Egyptian theater “festivals” dating from 2600 BC onwards. The documented parties were found on "papyrus excavated... in 1896. Each scene of this "production notebook" consists of the story of an action, a mythological explanation, a short dialogue involving two or more characters, together with indications relating to the subsidiary roles, the inclusion of songs or dances…” (Laws, 94) This ancient document is a true account of the performances of the Egyptians and helps to explain their festivals. From these papyrus drawings, Read concludes: “Each symbol, gesture, sound and embodiment seems shaped to trigger a chain of meanings in the viewer, so that each episode compacts and resonates with shared assumptions… continuity and coherence depend on the network of sociality , religious and political relationships that are articulated and supported, even taught, by these festive performances.” (95) After studying Egyptian theatrical texts, Read draws conclusions about the messages and meanings that the artists sought to convey. In accordance with Vince's perspective, I believe another historian could have studied the scenes on the papyrus and drawn a different conclusion regarding the purpose of the Egyptian festivals. Perhaps by examining the documents one could have drawn conclusions about the role of children or the importance of a strong work ethic. The point is that the document consisted exclusively of drawings and short dialogues between interpreters. The available facts are limited and speculation is needed to complete the picture. Facts are nothing more than dots on the page, and Read connected these dots by providing possible explanations as to why these events occurred. While these may be the correct inferences, after reading Vince's article, I realize that this is not the only explanation. After re-reading Read, I noticed that the facts about Egyptian festivals that took place over 1000 years were treated as a piece of evidence.