The issue of globalization has recently been exercising many minds in the field of theatre studies as elsewhere, resulting in various calls for approaches to theatre history that are less nationalistic or eurocentric. Yet of all art forms theatre appears to be, by its nature, the most parochial, tied to the needs of distinct social, ethnic, or other interests within constituencies limited by the economics of touring. Here Jo Robinson places arguments about globalization and theatre in a broader context of the current debate within the social sciences, and argues that exploring the ways in which performing cultures are truly interconnected may best be achieved by an exploration of neglected local histories. The author is a Lecturer in Drama at the University of Nottingham, and is currently leading the AHRC-funded three-year project, ‘Mapping Performance Culture: Nottingham 1857–67’, which is exploring the use of maps and mapping to recuperate performance history within the area. She is also Co-convenor of TaPRA's Theatre History and Historiography Working Group.