The dramaturgical metaphor comes from William Shakespeare, who proclaimed, “All the world is a stage, and all men and women merely players” who have their entrances and exits and play many parts during the course of their lifetime. In viewing social interaction as theater, attention is drawn to the script, stage, audience, staging props, and actors who play dramatic roles. Let us begin with the script. All dramaturgical theorists adopt the view that interaction is guided by a script written by culture. All actors are aware of the norms, values, beliefs, and other symbolic elements that direct how they are to talk, act, and otherwise play their roles.

Interaction is also performed on a stage in front of an audience. People act as if they are on a stage, and so each person in an interaction views others in a situation as constituting the audience to whom a presentation of self is given. In seeing people as actors performing on a stage, one's attention is drawn to the props – from clothing to physical objects – that individuals use to play their roles and to interpret the cultural script guiding their performance. Culture is not a straightjacket; although it is constraining, all actors are given some dramatic license in their playing of a role. Indeed, dramaturgical approaches emphasize impression management by actors as they present their selves to their audiences.