ABSTRACT
Contemporary theatre sometimes uses religious language, symbols, and poses. What do these references mean? To what extent can these productions be characterized as liturgy rather than as a show? An operational distinction is presented based on two criteria: is something communal going on (versus a performance before an audience), and is the here-and-now opened up to the transcendent (versus the presentation of another, illusory reality). This tool is used to analyze four productions. It appeared that the influence of solid religion was not entirely gone, but present, across the border, in another environment as part of something else. Participants could perceive the meetings as liturgy; they could also experience them as anti-religious or non-religious. Reflection on these four productions shows the usefulness of tools developed in ritual studies. First, this helps to produce an account of the roles of the sacred and of community in theatre shows. Secondly, this throws light on the appearance of religion in liquid modernity. Thirdly, the study of religion in theatre shows how boundaries between fields are fluid – not only between arts and religion, but also between the field of arts and the academic field. Both deal with the significance of religion in a world where religious traditions are questioned and used, both in and outside the religious sphere.
