ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a very general definition as to the difference between theatre and performance art. There is a world in theatre, however complete or incomplete; in performance art, little to no attempt is made at re-creating/embodying and/or inhabiting a world. Theatre constantly reaches out to performance art, and performance art constantly reaches out to theatre. The two general principles that distinguish theatre from performance art are simply that for an event to constitute theatre. One is the audience member is aware that he or she is going to the theatre, and other is witnessing a counterfactual situation presented in some manner as a re-created world, or a part of a re-created world. Clearly, performance art is theatrical, and theatre is an artistic performance. Of course, much of performance art is does not fit into either category of what distinguishes theatre from performance art.
