Performance and Theatre. Theatre and Performance. On first consideration the two concepts seem almost synonymous. For one can not have theatre without performance- but can one have performance without theatre? I would answer yes. 
 Theatre is a very specific type of performance that must include certain things that distinguish it from other forms of performance. For one it must be the live performance of a script that is memorized and interpreted by the actors/performers. This distinguishes it from almost all other forms of performance in that it necessitates the learning of lines of dialogue or speech with the direct goal of furthering a plot or story through some sort of dramatic arc and denouement. The only other type of performance that comes close to this would be stand up comedy. However, stand up comedy lacks what Richard Schechner referred to as 'restored behavior'. Restored behavior is a title in which he 'groups actions consciously separated from the person doing them- theatre and other role playing, trances, shamanism, rituals. 
  A stand up comedian might be memorizing lines that most likely they wrote for themselves but the performance of those lines lacks that extra leap of inhabiting a character and personality that is not our own. All performance takes discipline, preparation, practice, some form of memorization but these extra steps of restored behavior and following a story to a scripted conclusion are what separates theatre from all other forms of performance. 
 Sports encapsulate all of the above preparatory characteristics but when it comes time for performance the actions viewed by the audience and experienced by the 'performers' veer from whatever 'script' they hoped to follow no matter how detailed the plan. This is why imagination is so crucial in effective theatre- it's performers must be able to imagine the unfolding story as if it were happening for the first time- another differentiating hallmark of theatrical performance. 
  Upon further consideration I thought that perhaps the best example of live theatre that is not usually billed as such is WWE wrestling. It's scripted, intricately rehearsed, rife with restored behavior etc. 

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 18, 2018 at 9:18 AM

    I think it's interesting that you bring up the idea that in order for something to be deemed "theatre," there must be some sort of story or plot. This delineation fits well when discussing how sports are not theatre due to the lack of a "known" ending, however I wonder what you would say about religion. Although a church service lacks a "story" or "plot" in the traditional sense, the entire ceremony is based on "stories" written in the bible (also please recognize that I write this as a person fairly ignorant of what a church service truly looks like having not been to a traditional Christian church service in over ten years). I just wonder what boxes you believe necessary to be checked in order to fulfill your idea of what constitutes a plot or story. Does it need to be acted out- in the way of a play or WWE wrestling? Or does the simple act of retelling a story - a la recounting the story of Noah's ark in church - also count?

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