Street Fairs: Social Space, Social Performance

Mason examines the performative aspects of the American street fair, focusing not on the overt instances, like the jugglers or musicians, but rather on the more discreet performative behaviors of the people who attend the fair. He begins by exploring the changing definition of performance and distin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Theatre journal (Washington, D.C.) D.C.), 1996-10, Vol.48 (3), p.301-319
Main Author: Mason, Jeffrey D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Communities
Conventions
County fairs
Fairs
Festivals
Holidays & special occasions
Merchants
Metaphor
Musical performance
People
Performance art
Performance theory
Performing artists
Recreation
Social behavior
Social interaction
Theater
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Description
Summary:Mason examines the performative aspects of the American street fair, focusing not on the overt instances, like the jugglers or musicians, but rather on the more discreet performative behaviors of the people who attend the fair. He begins by exploring the changing definition of performance and distinguishing between artful performance and social performance. He then discusses how social performance permeates a street fair, using research from the Hot Summer Nights Street Festival, a celebration held each July in Nevada City, California, to illustrate his assertions.
ISSN:0192-2882
1086-332X
1086-332X
DOI:10.1353/tj.1996.0063