Theatre and Performance Studies
Theatre and Performance Studies is a research topic within Visual Arts and Performing Arts. Science Explorer counts 18k research works in it since 1950. 15.6% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.
This cluster of papers encompasses a wide range of topics related to theatrical performance, including theatre, performance art, drama education, audience experience, performativity, immersive theatre, globalization, and social transformation. It explores the interdisciplinary study of theatrical performance and theory in various cultural and historical contexts.
- Theatre
- Performance Art
- Drama Education
- Cultural Practice
- Audience Experience
- Applied Theatre
- Performativity
- Immersive Theatre
- Globalization
- Social Transformation
- Research works
- 18k fractional, since 1950
- In the world top 10%
- 2.9k per year above
- Top-10% rate
- 15.6% share of its works in the world top 10%
- Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
- +18% the tick is no change
Which countries lead Theatre and Performance Studies research?
By volume, the United States and the United Kingdom publish the most (714 and 483 works in 2022–2025).
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 United States 714 works
- 2 United Kingdom 483 works
- 3 Brazil 197 works
- 4 Australia 135 works
- 5 India 132 works
- 6 Canada 123 works
- 7 France 116 works
- 8 China 109 works
- 9 Romania 86 works
- 10 Türkiye 81 works
How concentrated that is
The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.
Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.
Which institutions lead Theatre and Performance Studies research?
By volume in 2022–2025, Film Independent publishes the most Theatre and Performance Studies research, followed by University of Baghdad and Babeș-Bolyai University.
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 Film IndependentUnited States 35 works
- 2 University of BaghdadIraq 19 works
- 3 Babeș-Bolyai UniversityRomania 19 works
- 4 The University of SydneyAustralia 19 works
- 5 The University of MelbourneAustralia 17 works
- 6 Universidade de São PauloBrazil 17 works
- 7 University of EdinburghUnited Kingdom 15 works
- 8 New York UniversityUnited States 15 works
- 9 Texas Tech UniversityUnited States 14 works
- 10 Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)Brazil 14 works
Who are the leading researchers in Theatre and Performance Studies?
The most-cited researchers publishing on Theatre and Performance Studies include Norman K. Denzin.
- 1 Norman K. Denzin United States 8.6k citations
Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.
Where is Theatre and Performance Studies research done?
The largest centres of Theatre and Performance Studies research in 2022–2025 are London (United Kingdom), New York (United States), Los Angeles (United States) and Paris (France). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Cluj-Napoca.
Largest cities, 2022–2025
- 1 London United Kingdom 114 works
- 2 New York United States 52 works
- 3 Los Angeles United States 50 works
- 4 Paris France 43 works
- 5 São Paulo Brazil 37 works
- 6 Melbourne Australia 34 works
- 7 Sydney Australia 31 works
- 8 Beijing China 28 works
- 9 Baghdad Iraq 26 works
- 10 Rio de Janeiro Brazil 24 works
Where it is the local speciality
- Cluj-NapocaRO · 22.1 works11×
Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Theatre and Performance Studies than the world average.
Where is the best place to study Theatre and Performance Studies?
Among universities, judged by research, Babeș-Bolyai University, Trinity College Dublin and University of Exeter score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.
One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.
| # | University | Score | Top 10% | Specialisation | Works | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Babeș-Bolyai UniversityRomania | 69.9 | 14.8% | 24.7× | 19 | +388.9% |
| 2 | Trinity College DublinIreland | 64.3 | 12.2% | 11.1× | 12 | +158.8% |
| 3 | University of ExeterUnited Kingdom | 64.1 | 29.2% | 7.0× | 9 | +82.6% |
| 4 | University of KentUnited Kingdom | 63.5 | 9.8% | 27.0× | 13 | +191.3% |
| 5 | University of the Arts LondonUnited Kingdom | 63.2 | 16.6% | 82.8× | 10 | +327.3% |
| 6 | Royal Central School of Speech and DramaUnited Kingdom | 58.4 | 11.1% | 1090.5× | 10 | +992.2% |
| 7 | Villanova UniversityUnited States | 57.5 | 22.4% | 26.6× | 8 | +90.0% |
| 8 | Royal Holloway University of LondonUnited Kingdom | 56.3 | 15.5% | 30.7× | 12 | +28.2% |
| 9 | Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)Brazil | 55.6 | 23.5% | 5.8× | 14 | +106.7% |
| 10 | Queen's University BelfastUnited Kingdom | 55.5 | 8.4% | 11.7× | 12 | +61.3% |
Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.
Is Theatre and Performance Studies research growing?
Output in 2018–2022 was 18% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Theatre and Performance Studies.
The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.
Which topics inside it are moving
Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.