The Contested Maps, Multiple Worlds, and Negotiable Borders of Theatre

Abstract

In the art of theatre, many effects are created by way of a thorough understanding of the performance space , and also through the manipulation of the borders that divide the architecture of the theatre building from the temporary scenery of a production, the actors from the audience. These realms—the building, the scenery/stage, the auditorium—have been conceived of as “worlds”, “continents”, or “seas” that constitute the global geography of the theatrical experience. This essay demonstrates some of the ways in which maps, cartography, and geography have impacted the academic discipline of theatre studies , and it also considers how theatre artists’ conceptualizations of the theatrical event as a universe that includes worlds informs the way they create their art.