Theatre or Performance

I can agree with the assumption written in the post that performance is the big umbrella under which theatre is a subset. I say this because there are many types of performance, as we discovered in Carlson’s “Performance: A critical introduction.” Rather than just coded behavior, there is a display of skills that is necessary theatre but what makes theatre different from sports are the conventions that surround it. At least that is one aspect. The stage, the curtains, playbills, dimming of lights, etc. are all al conventions that let one know that they are about to experience theatre.  One could argue, “Well, what about a concert or opera? Is that theatre? They dim the lights, there are curtains and programs and a stage and such.” What further helps here is chapter two of “Performance Studies: An Introduction” by Schechner. He makes a distinction between performance that is “make-belief” and “make-believe.” “Make-belief” performance is performance of everyday life. He gives the example of the presidency. We all know that the president reads from speeches written for him and carries himself in a way that is expected of a president (well, this is typically the case…). This is not performance with the purpose of making an audience think they are something that they are not. It is simply a presentation based on societal expectations. “Make-Believe” is what theatre is – there is an accepted and clearly distinct difference between the actor and the roles that they play. Those who sit down to watch theatre are not primarily there to see what the actor would say or make up (unless it’s improvisation – but even then there is knowledge that the actors are acting not simply living their lives or performing an athletic skill). They know that the playwright has written a script they are there to see how the plot unfolds.

Of course these lines are blurry and I believe that it’s because theatre is actually telling the truth. And if you are telling the truth, aren’t you not performing? This is why performance art is often separated from theatre because of the nature of not usually assuming a character or a role.