Abstract
Following Richard Schechner, a current view is that the common denominator of theatre and performance art lies in their encounter of live performers and live spectators; i.e., in being subspecies of “performance.” That theatre is a performing art cannot be denied. However, I suggest here that (a) the category of “performance” is too abstract in order to learn anything about each of these artistic activities; (b) in contrast to performance art, the specific difference of theatre lies in the principle of “deflection of reference” that characterizes “acting”; and (c) this is not a matter of gradation, but of an existential gap.
About the author
Eli Rozik (b. 1932) is Professor Emeritus at Tel Aviv University 〈rozik@post.tau.ac.il〉. His research interests include. His publications include theatre semiotics, speech act theory, and non-verbal communication in theatre performance analysis. His publications include The fictional arts: An inter-art journey from theatre to the arts (2011); Comedy: A critical introduction (2011); Jewish drama and theatre: from rabbinical intolerance to secular liberalism (2013); and Theatre sciences: A plea for a multidisciplinary approach to theatre studies (2014).
©2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Munich/Boston
