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Open research questions in Theatre and Performance Studies

512 gap statements mined from Theatre and Performance Studies papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 6,227 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

Choosing where to publish on Theatre and Performance Studies? See the ranked Social Science journals.

What the literature leaves open

  • Further research can explore the application of puppetry to other art forms. The study's findings can be used to inform the development of new puppetry performances. Future research can examine the impact of puppetry on the audience's perception of 'self' and 'other'.

    Manipulation and Animation: Theatrical Construction of the Relationship Between "Self" and "Other" in Puppetry Performance · 2026 · DOI

  • The study highlights the challenge of recognizing and addressing the emotional cost of silence and the urgent need for recognition, healing, and social change.

    GRIEF IN PHILIP RIDLEY'S VINCENT RIVER · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in the understanding of how personal grief is intertwined with broader societal issues. The study highlights the need for a comprehensive exploration of the impact of loss, guilt, and memory in Vincent River.

    GRIEF IN PHILIP RIDLEY'S VINCENT RIVER · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of attention to spatial constraint in short-form theatre research. The need for a method-based practice that can be applied across scripts and contexts.

    From Three Acts to Bedroom Minutes: Micro-Theatre Compression and Bedroom Theatre as a Micro-Spatial Method of Intimate Performance · 2026 · DOI

  • The gap between formal legal equality and equality in practice is identified. The need to analyze systemic inequality and gendered oppression is highlighted.

    The Quest for Social Justice against Oppression in Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Arden City · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research could explore the impact of the play on contemporary debates about Tipu Sultan. Further research could analyze the play's use of historical documents and multiple narrative voices.

    The Dream of Tipu Sultan as a Postcolonial and Historical Play: A Critical Study · 2026 · DOI

  • The play addresses the gap in historical representation by challenging colonial historiography. The play fills the gap in postcolonial literature by providing a nuanced portrayal of Tipu Sultan.

    The Dream of Tipu Sultan as a Postcolonial and Historical Play: A Critical Study · 2026 · DOI

  • The challenge of promoting social support and well-being among seniors. The challenge of developing community-based programs that meet the needs of seniors. The challenge of evaluating the effectiveness of such programs.

    Acting for a Change: Using Psychodrama to Enhance Spontaneity, Connection, and Change in the Development of a Senior Improvisational Group · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in the availability of arts programs for seniors, who are often underserved and underrepresented. The paper identifies a need for community-based programs that promote social support and well-being among seniors.

    Acting for a Change: Using Psychodrama to Enhance Spontaneity, Connection, and Change in the Development of a Senior Improvisational Group · 2026 · DOI

  • The use of a subjective genogram and dramatic role-play is presented as a means to address this gap.

    The Subjective Genogram: An Action Therapy Tool for Family of Origin Work · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research can be conducted on the application of postdramatic aspects to other avant-garde productions. The paper's findings can inform future studies on the development of new directing methods and aesthetic aspects of theatre.

    Postdramatic Tendencies in Czech Avant-Garde Theatre: Reconsidering the Case of Director Emil František Burian and His Production of "May" (1935) · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of Burian's production May (1935) as a post-dramatic phenomenon. The work recognizes the need for a new interpretation of the production.

    Postdramatic Tendencies in Czech Avant-Garde Theatre: Reconsidering the Case of Director Emil František Burian and His Production of "May" (1935) · 2026 · DOI

  • The concept of manual cinema is under-theorized despite increasing scholarly interest in convergence theatre and media. There is a lack of analysis of the original concepts of manual cinema implemented by Polish artists and collectives.

    Manual Cinema: A Unique Hybrid of Shadow Theatre and Cinematic Practices · 2026 · DOI

  • The history of theatre and performance is often written as a single developmental line. There is a need to rewrite theatre history as relational micro-histories.

    An Intermedial Cabinet of Obscurities: Media-Archaeological Excavations in Performance · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research could explore the potential of non-verbal performative elements in addressing the limitations of language in articulating queer identities. Further study could examine the challenges of translating and adapting queer-themed plays in different linguistic and cultural contexts.

    Performing Queerness through Translation and Adaptation · 2026 · DOI

  • The translation and study of classical Sanskrit aesthetic theories remain an almost uncharted territory. Advancing substantive comparative studies between Nuo xi and Indian forms like Kutiyattam would be challenging.

    A Comparative Study of Dejiang Nuo Xi, Youyang Masked Yang Xi, and Indian Sanskrit Drama · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper notes that the theatrical phenomenon constitutes a limit case for Schillerian aesthetics.

    Hacia una fenomenología del cuerpo teatral: Estilística, hiperestesia y suspensión del cuerpo vivido · 2026 · DOI

  • The absence of a widely accepted non-binary pronoun in Czech means that linguistic representation of non-binary identities remains contested.

    Performing Queerness through Translation and Adaptation · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the relationship between 'self' and 'other' in puppetry performance. The study aims to fill this gap by exploring the construction of this relationship.

    Manipulation and Animation: Theatrical Construction of the Relationship Between "Self" and "Other" in Puppetry Performance · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research on the application of micro-spatial dramaturgy in various performance contexts. Investigation of the role of spatial intimacy in shaping audience reception. Exploration of the potential of Bedroom Theatre to create immersive and intimate performances.

    From Three Acts to Bedroom Minutes: Micro-Theatre Compression and Bedroom Theatre as a Micro-Spatial Method of Intimate Performance · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies the challenge of bridging the gap between psychodrama and theater. It highlights the differences between Moreno and Williams' approaches. The paper notes the challenge of understanding the creative process.

    Psychodrama and Theater: If J. L. Moreno and Tennessee Williams Were to Meet · 2026 · DOI

  • The gap between the avant-garde art and new media is identified - The need to understand the mechanical nature of machines and their performative capabilities…

    Machines for Communication New Media and New Theatre in Avant-Garde Conceptions · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research into the intersection of media archaeology and intermedial performance studies. Further research into the application of media-archaeological perspectives to theatre and performance history.

    An Intermedial Cabinet of Obscurities: Media-Archaeological Excavations in Performance · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of performativity and agonism in theatre. The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the use of non-professional child actors in theatre.

    Tragic Replay: Performativity, Myth and Reality in Milo Rau’s Medea’s Children · 2026 · DOI

  • The complexity of postmodernism as a concept, - The challenge of analyzing Miller's later plays in the context of postmodernism, - The need to consider the historical context of literary…

    Review: Postmodern Culture’s Impact on Arthur Miller’s View of Humanity · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Theatre and Performance Studies

Most recent work

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) Future research can examine the impact of puppetry on the audience's perception of 'self' and 'other' (“Manipulation and Animation: Theatrical Construction of the Relationship Between…”, 2026); (2) The lack of attention to spatial constraint in short-form theatre research (“From Three Acts to Bedroom Minutes: Micro-Theatre Compression and Bedroom…”, 2026); (3) Further research could explore the impact of the play on contemporary debates about Tipu Sultan (“The Dream of Tipu Sultan as a Postcolonial and Historical Play: A Critical Study”, 2026); (4) There is a lack of analysis of the original concepts of manual cinema implemented by Polish artists and collectives (“Manual Cinema: A Unique Hybrid of Shadow Theatre and Cinematic Practices”, 2026); (5) There is a need to rewrite theatre history as relational micro-histories (“An Intermedial Cabinet of Obscurities: Media-Archaeological Excavations in…”, 2026). 512 gap statements have been mined from Theatre and Performance Studies papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 6,227 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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