Theatresports have been played for several decades now, and the form can claim international acceptance. This success is best viewed against the background of theatre's position in contemporary art and society. This form of theatre markedly takes advantage of the specificity of theatre, of its immediacy, of the fact that it is ‘live’ art. The improvisational matches thereby stress to what extent the ‘live’ aspect of theatrical performance has become distinctive in the domain of art. Moreover, theatresports highlight the social nature of theatre to such an extent that they probe the boundaries between the artistic and the social fields. By privileging the social event theatresports turn to advantage an aspect that allows theatre to buttress its position in competition with screen media.