What is theatre?

At the Cornerhouse galleries there is an exhibition going on at the moment involving proposals for possible exhibitions of all types which you can the rights to realize for a mere £50. There is one in particular that I found at once really interesting and totally gross. Basically, it's an idea to showcase artistic defecation. But that's not the interesting part, the ethos the artist wrote along with it I found really insightful. See if a man just takes a shit in the street and calls it art, is it art? Is it art simply if he convinces another party that he's committed this act in the name of art? Or puts it in a gallery? Sometimes you have to ask "What is Art?" Or in our case "What is Theatre?" As I prepare myself for holy pilgramage to Edinburgh Fringe this question of what is art and what is theatre will be at the forefront of my mind constantly. Because I've chosen to be as daring as possible in my selection process for Fringe, this question becomes especially pertinent. I tried to go as fringey as I could get. A part of me really wanted to see the classics I've never gotten a chance to see over the years like Ovid's "Metamorphosis" and Williams' "Vieux Carré" but when I read "Site-specific", "devised" or "grotesque" I just can't help but buy into it when something new and exciting is promised. I've heard many a warning about such entreaties when it comes to the Fringe. But fear not! Alas I have chosen wisely. I think. I'll be seeing along with Alex and Baba, "Teenage Riot", which is the latest offering from Ontroerend Goed, the Flemmish group I wrote about in my last post. I plan on seeing a bit of puppetry, vaudeville, masks, Butoh and much, much more! But back to the question of art and theatre. It's not just a difficult question to answer but just as difficult to ask because it's hard to know exactly what one means when one asks "What is theatre?" For instance, it's much easier to expedite the question itself in favour of asking what is good theatre. It's a much more direct question. But when challenging the contructs and general perception of what theatre is in itself is quite a feat. Does one simple need to convince another party that some form of performance is taking place in order to qualify itself as theatre. If I take a shit in the street, is that art? Or how about if I take a shit in a gallery, or a stage? I'm not encouraging you to go out and committ acts of unsettling vandalism. But I think if we challange ourselves to ask the question, to have doubt, to seek an answer, we get more.