Theatre and Spirits

A succinct overview of the close relationship between theatre and spirits, the porous boundary between the stage and the spiritual world, and the theatricality of spiritual experiences.

How does the theatrical world interact with spirits? How do spirits gain agency through performance? How have modern-day theatrical conventions been dictated by multi-generational attitudes towards spirits?

This brief study examines close relationship between theatre and spirits, a relationship manifested through ritual and religious practice, tracing the the changing attitudes towards spirits through theatre history.

Touching on international ideas such as Japan's noh, Korea's gut, Malaysia's mah yong, and Greek Drama, Theatre and Spirits combines theatre studies with ritual, religion, and performance studies, concisely explaining the complex relationship between theatre and the spirit world it may evoke: through the lens of theatre, everyday ritual and religious practice can also be understood at the level of theatricality.