happenings

Eight Structural Types of Avant-Garde Theatre

According to Richard Kostelanetz, extending the foundational work of
Michael Kirby, avant-garde theatre can be organized into eight distinct
structural types. Each type is defined by how it manipulates three core
components of performance: space,
time, and action.

Within this framework, space is categorized as either
open or closed, while time and action
may be either variable or fixed.
Mapping these permutations produces a matrix of performance
possibilities.

Space
Open or Closed
Time
Variable or Fixed
Action
Variable or Fixed

The Structural Matrix
Performance Type Space Time Action
Staged Happening Closed Variable Variable
Staged Performance Closed Fixed Fixed
Kinetic Environment Closed Variable Fixed
Structured Enclosed Performance Closed Fixed Variable
Pure Happening Open Variable Variable
Kinetic Street Installation Open Variable Fixed
Fixed Open Performance Open Fixed Fixed
Structured Public Happening Open Fixed Variable

The Eight Performance Types

1. Staged Happening

  • Closed Space
  • Variable Time
  • Variable Action

Example
Allan Kaprow’s 18 Happenings in 6 Parts (1959). Held
inside a divided loft gallery, participants followed loose
instructions that relied heavily on chance, unscripted timing, and
audience reaction.

2. Staged Performance

  • Closed Space
  • Fixed Time
  • Fixed Action

Example
A traditional, tightly scripted play—or a meticulously timed
avant-garde performance in an art theatre—in which every cue,
movement, and second is explicitly scored.

3. Kinetic Environment

  • Closed Space
  • Variable Time
  • Fixed Action

Example
Claes Oldenburg’s The Store (1961). A rented storefront
was filled with plaster objects and constructed environments. The
physical elements remained static or automated, while visitors
determined the length and course of their own experience.

4. Structured Enclosed Performance

  • Closed Space
  • Fixed Time
  • Variable Action

Example
A closed-door experimental theatre workshop or improvisational
exercise held strictly from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. inside a studio. The
event has a rigid time frame, but its dialogue and movement remain
unscripted.

5. Pure Happening

  • Open Space
  • Variable Time
  • Variable Action

Example
Giant blocks of ice are placed without explanation on public city
sidewalks and allowed to melt naturally. Unprompted pedestrians may
interact with them, alter them, or ignore them completely.

6. Kinetic Street Installation

  • Open Space
  • Variable Time
  • Fixed Action

Example
One of Jean Tinguely’s mechanical, looping kinetic sculptures
installed in an open public square. The machine executes a fixed
physical routine, while passersby encounter it according to their own
schedules.

7. Fixed Open Performance

  • Open Space
  • Fixed Time
  • Fixed Action

Example
Trisha Brown’s Roof Piece (1971). Dancers transmitted a
strictly choreographed sequence of movements from rooftop to rooftop
across New York City during a precise and tightly controlled period.

8. Structured Public Happening

  • Open Space
  • Fixed Time
  • Variable Action

Example
An organized public “hour of silence” or performance-art gathering in
a city park. The event is rigidly timed—such as exactly noon to
1:00 p.m.—but the actions and improvisations of participants within
that period remain variable.