Reddit reviews How Shakespeare Changed Everything

So glad you've taken an interest in Shakespeare. He's the best for a reason!

The thing is, your question is almost impossibly broad. First off, what "theater movement" do you mean exactly? In the Western tradition? (I'm assuming, because you're asking about Shakespeare.) There are HUNDRES of movements in theater (Absurdism! Realism! Naturalism! Theater of the Absurd! Artaud's Theater of Cruelty! And that's just the 20th century!) And how are you defining "modern" and "pre-modern?" Pre-Victorian, maybe? Or post-Elizabethan?

Also, when you're talking about Shakespeare's influence, do you mean just from a text/language standpoint? All the words he invented? (Here's a list! http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/wordsinvented.html) Or what he did from a character development standpoint? How he played with then-existing dramatic convention? Or how the Globe and King's Men productions helped shape dramatic productions? This is an entire academic field we're talking about, people get PHDs in this subject! :)

Also, FYI, "Broadway" only refers to theaters of a certain size in New York. Not to any specific production qualities or standards. Although there is a lot of cultural baggage associating the term with musicals and big spectacles, smaller scale plays and more "experimental" works are mounted in Broadway theaters today.

BUT to answer your initial question: I think it's safe to say that there has not been a single artist with more influence on Western theater than William Shakespeare. Nearly every single other person (from Shaw to Chekov to Miller) who has shaped or formed the Western theatrical tradition had read, studied or seen a Shakespeare play. His influence is nearly impossible to quantify, and certainly not fit for one Reddit post :)

This is a fun, easy read which provides a thin but useful overview of Shakespeare's influence on the WHOLE WORLD!

Here's some other books to check out if you're interested.

http://www.amazon.com/Shakespeare-World-Stage-Eminent-Lives/dp/B0091LM8L8

http://www.amazon.com/Shakespeare-An-Illustrated-Stage-History/dp/0198123728

https://cache.kzoo.edu/handle/10920/27867