Towards a Liminal Theatre

Abstract

Abstract This thesis examines the concept of Liminal Theatre, a mode of performance that functions as a true rite of passage, rather than a liminoid experience or merely entertainment. Drawing on the work of anthropologists Arnold van Gennep and Victor Turner, liminality is defined as a transitional phase in which participants shed prior identities before assuming new ones. While Turner argues that theatre is inherently liminoid due to its optional and commodified nature, this thesis posits that a movement toward the liminal in theatre has been in progress for nearly a century. Beginning with Antonin Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty, which sought to reestablish theatre as a transformative, ritualistic experience, this lineage extends through Jerzy Grotowski’s Poor Theatre and Paratheatre, Reza Abdoh’s visceral productions, Richard Foreman’s theatre of disorientation, and Thomas Richards’ ongoing explorations with Theatre No Theatre. Each of these practitioners challenges the separation between performer and spectator, creating conditions that cultivate communitas, an unstructured collective experience essential to liminality. By examining these theatrical movements and productions, this thesis argues that Liminal Theatre enables spectators to undergo a process of transformation akin to ritual initiation. Rather than reinforcing passive spectatorship, it demands active engagement, challenging traditional theatre conventions and redefining performance as a site of profound, existential change. In doing so, Liminal Theatre reclaims the ancient power of performance as a sacred act, dissolving the boundaries between art and life, and offering a space where perception, identity, and communal experience are reconfigured.