Theatre Audiences: A Theory of Production and Reception

Focusing on the non-traditional theatres of the last 30 years, theatres which demand an active and creative role of their audiences, the text offers insights into spectatorship which also apply to audiences of traditional theatres who often contribute subtly to theatrical events. This is a study of the audience looking at both theories of audience reaction, and the kinds of spectators that different theatre practice attract and to some extent create. Bennett examines specific theatres - their advertising, architecture, staging - and analyzes the symbiotic relationship they have with their audiences. The author's focus on the sociology of performance challenges conventional ways of teaching drama which rely on dramatic texts.