Theatrix comes packaged as a 136-page softcover rule book, and also includes 11 loose-leaf cardstock sheets containing flowcharts for planning adventures and resolving plot points.

The Director attempts to frame adventures as if they were screenplays, with a pre-structured plot that consists of a number of agreed-upon acts, scenes, and "pinch-points".

[7] In 1993, Backstage Press published the rules for Theatrix, a role-playing game designed and written by David Berkman, Travis Eneix, Andrew Finch, Anthony Gallela and Brett Hackett, with art by Aaron Long.

When Backstage tried to sell the new book at Gen Con that year, they were banned from the convention due to the adult nature of Ironwood's content.

Whitt enjoyed the writing style, commenting, "Reading such rules in other games can be like eating a sawdust sandwich, but here the text is written with a central extended metaphor that likens roleplaying to the performing arts (interactive theatre and film) which makes it quite entertaining."

Whitt noted, "it is a fine technical manual for the art of roleplaying (all styles from hack and slash to angst-ridden navel gazing are catered for) that can be ported to any game system or genre."