本文考釋宋、元「瓦社勾欄」及活躍其中「樂户書會」之名義與歷史。「瓦社勾欄」於宋、元實為百藝會演之劇場，亦是酒樓茶肆歌兒舞女賣身賣藝之據點，更是士庶放蕩不羈之所在。而籍隸「樂户」職司演出百藝之伎人，皆為罪戾之人、卑賤之輩；「書會」為民間文藝家之行會組織，其成員稱作才人或先生。樂户伎人和書會才人在瓦社勾欄中關係極為密切，相為表裹。才人為勾欄演出提供文學的憑藉，伎人為勾欄演出呈現藝術的光華。而若就南戲北劇之由小戲壯大為大戲而言，則瓦社勾欄實已提供充分之養分與安適之溫床，而樂户書會實已從中調適運作做了極有力的推手。也因此我們說，如果沒有宋、元的瓦社勾欄和活躍在其中的樂户書會，中國大戲南戲北劇的成立和完成，又不知更要晚至何時。

This paper explores the definition and history of the washe goulan (theaters), and the yuehu shuhui (theatrical troupes and folk writer societies) in the Song and Yuan periods. Washe and goulan were theaters for all kinds of performing arts in Song and Yuan times, and they were also haunts of singsong and dancing girls, who wished to sell either their arts or their bodies. Theaters were where both the literati and the ordinary people abandoned themselves to pleasure. While the jiren (actors) of the yuehu (theater troupes) were exclusively criminals and of the low class, the shuhui (folk writer societies) were professional organizations for writers, whose members were called cairen (talented writers) or xiansheng (teachers). Actors of the theatrical troupes and talented writers of the folk writer societies were intricately entwined in the washe goulan productions. The writers wrote the stories and the actors played them out. Both the washe goulan and yuehu shuhui greatly contributed to the growth of the Southern Drama and the Northern Drama, fostering the development from xiaoxi (minor drama) to daxi (high drama). Without the existence of washe goulan theaters or the active participation of the yuehu shuhui actors and talented writers of Song and Yuan times, the coming-of-age of Chinese Southern and Northern dramas would not have been achieved until a much later period.