The Dimensions of Performance Space – A Brief Anatomy of Space for a Moving Audience

This bachelor thesis work aims to identify in what ways the performance space can influence audience behaviour. The text concerns performances where the audience and the actors share the same space and where the audience is free to move in the performance space. Apart from the physical features of space, the social and temporal aspects of space are also considered in the text. The main question of the text is: how does the performance space influence the choices the spectators make when they can move freely? In the text this question is addressed mainly through the discourses of environmental theatre and environmental psychology. A demo performance made in December 2014 is used as an example and a base for the discussion. The main discussion is divided into three parts and covers the subjects of 1) the audience as a part of space, 2) the performance space itself, and 3) changes in space. Based on the discussion, the text summarizes four different ways to think about performance space and audience behavior. These are: 1) the structure of the space and the entrances, 2) the atmosphere and the semi fixed-feature space, 3) the rules of the performance, and 4) building conflicts between the space and the audience. The text concludes by suggesting that a focus on the spatial experience of the audience may lead to important alternatives to traditional frontal performances