ABSTRACT
The notion of the effect produced (Wirkung in German) has seen little use in theatre theory and yet is very useful if one seeks to examine how theatre acts upon society, the audience, or on the spectator. It should be defined in opposition to the notion of reception, that is the way in which society, the audience, or the spectator reacts to the dramatic text or its performance. These two notions: the effect produced, and reception (which are not always differentiated in common usage) lead us to understand how theatre influences us and how in turn we influence theatre.
