Exploring political communication as theater, Center Stage shows how American civic culture is both enriched and diminished by the ways journalists organize narratives about civic life. This up-to-date text focuses on issues such as politics as representational theater, economic forces shaping political media, and growth of new media. Covering contexts from the presidency and Congress to political art, Center Stage suggests additional pathways for imagining our national life, including Internet-supported activism and innovative uses of documentary film.