"Theatre in Trance" is a documentary about the Festival "Theatres of the World". More than 30 theatrical groups from 15 different countries participated at the Festival in June 1981 in Cologne. Rainer Werner Fassbinder observed them for two weeks and shot their incredible performances. The film consists of 14 chapters in which he presents the most important groups like: "Squat Theatre", New York, the "Magazzini criminali" from Florence, the "Kipper Kids" from California or the "Pina-Bausch-Tanzgruppe" from Wuppertal. The text which Fassbinder reads is taken from the collection "Le Théâtre et son double" written by one of the most important theoreticians of modern theatre Antonin Artaud. But Fassbinder also adds his own commentaries to the film. A wonderful experience with magnificent performers.