Found Space

The theatrical concept found space refers to the practice of fitting up and using a non-theatrical spaces for the presentation of a theatrical event.

The term

While it can obviously be used in a variety of contexts, in theatre the term found space specifically refers to a performance venue purposely created in a space that was not originally built as a theatre, usually a space that gives meaning to and/or enhances the theme of the play or performed piece. Examples include theatrical productions mounted in cathedrals, warehouses, city parks, rural fields, dance clubs, and street corners.

Such performances are often referred to as Found Space Theatre or as Site-Specific Theatre (the latter use popular in the discipline generally referred to as Physical theatre).

Cabaret performance is often similar to a found space, with the audience members sitting at tables, with food and drink. Found spaces can also lend themselves to environmental staging, in which the space for the actors and the space for the audience are not clearly distinguished.

This kind of performance has thrived in South Africa over the course of the late 20th and 21st century, especially so at the many festivals that drive the theatre season. The performances are often also derivative of the whole physical theatre movement, as a concept particularly used by contemporary dance and Physical theatre practitioners.

See also Improvised Theatre Space , Open-air theatre and Improvised venue