Performance analysis constitutes a central field of study and research for theatre studies. Whether historical or contemporary, performances are what theatre scholars analyse, and they form the one part of theatrical culture that they alone are responsible for. It is the special area of expertise that distinguishes theatre scholars from other disciplines that concern themselves with theatre. For this reason, students will be expected to familiarize themselves with the techniques and methodological problems attendant on analysing performances.

As a first step, it is necessary to differentiate between the two terms ‘production’ and ‘performance’, which are often used loosely or even synonymously. As we saw in the previous chapter (p. 127), a play in performance is made up of three discrete levels that in the act of perception are difficult to distinguish: the text, the staging of the text and the performance. The performance is the unique event witnessed. It includes, to a large degree, audience involvement, whether this is manifestly evident or not. Any performance is made up of complex patterns of interaction between stage and auditorium. The performance is therefore characterized by ephemerality; it is transitory and its analysis will tend to emphasize the event and its impact on the spectators at a particular point in time.