This study examines T.S. Eliot's intentions for the staging of his plays, as revealed in the texts themselves and in related documents. His plays reflect his basically naturalistic conception of the stage environment and the acting; two of the plays, "Sweeney Agonistes," which was unfinished, and "The Family Reunion," demonstrate his inability to integrate into his work material which exceeded the limits of naturalism. The success of the staging conception of "Murder in the Cathedral" was due to Eliot's borrowing of every major staging idea in the play, directly or indirectly, from director E. Martin Browne. "Murder in the Cathedral" therefore represents a deviation from Eliot's theatrical vision. It is his later plays--"The Cocktail Party,""The Confidential Clerk," and "The Elder Statesman," all of which reflect his long-time tendency toward naturalism--which are the culmination of that vision. (Author/GW)