THEATRE & PERFORMANCE STUDIES (TPS) is an international, interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to publishing high-quality original research covering all fields within the discipline of theatre and performance studies. The journal engages with a broad spectrum of topics—from classical drama to contemporary performance art, from traditional theatre to digital and virtual performance, from textual analysis to embodied practice—providing a serious and open scholarly platform for global theatre and performance researchers, practitioners, and educators.

The core conviction of TPS is “Let the thinking from the stage be heard by the world.” We believe that theatre and performance are not merely forms of artistic expression, but vital entry points for understanding the human condition, social structures, and cultural transformation. Performance studies offers a distinctive epistemological pathway—one that connects text and body, aesthetics and politics, tradition and innovation, the local and the global. The journal adopts a flexible publication policy that takes Open Access as the default model while allowing Non-Open Access publication under special circumstances, balancing the global free dissemination of scholarship with the specific needs of particular research contexts.

Publication Model and Open Access Statement

TPS operates a Hybrid Open Access Model, with the following specific policies:

Default Model: Full Open Access

In the vast majority of cases, TPS operates as a Diamond Open Access journal:

  • Free for all readers: All articles published under the Open Access model are immediately, permanently, and unconditionally available to readers worldwide. No subscription, no registration, no paywalls. We believe that scholarly work in theatre and performance studies should be freely accessible to scholars, students, artists, theatre companies, cultural institutions, and the public worldwide, to promote knowledge accumulation and practical innovation in the performing arts.

  • Zero or minimal cost for authors: TPS completely waives Article Processing Charges for papers recognised through peer review as being of exceptional scholarly quality, demonstrating outstanding originality and academic contribution. For other Open Access papers, the journal charges only a minimal fee far below industry standards, solely to sustain basic operations. Authors from under-resourced regions and the Global South may apply for full or partial fee waivers.

  • Open licensing: All Open Access articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0). Authors retain copyright of their work and grant anyone the right to share, adapt, and reuse the material, provided appropriate credit is given, to maximise knowledge dissemination and public impact in the field of theatre and performance studies.

Special Cases: Non-Open Access

In the following special circumstances, upon author request and with the approval of the editorial team, articles may be published under a Non-Open Access model:

  • Funder mandates: Certain research funding bodies, cultural foundations, or collaborative projects impose specific copyright or access restrictions that conflict with the CC BY licence of full Open Access.

  • Rights restrictions on performance images and archival materials: Content involving production photographs, stage design drawings, costume designs, rehearsal video excerpts, musical scores, or script excerpts still under copyright protection, where full open dissemination could raise legal or rights disputes.

  • Cultural heritage and community sensitivity: Content involving indigenous ritual performances, religious ceremonial theatre, performance materials with cultural taboos, or oral performance histories closely tied to specific community interests, where full open dissemination could raise ethical or cultural rights concerns.

  • Authors’ specific publication needs: Authors may request Non-Open Access publication based on reasonable grounds such as career development, institutional evaluation requirements, or future publication plans.

  • Legal and compliance requirements: Laws and regulations in certain countries or regions impose specific restrictions on the dissemination of research materials involving political censorship, content classification, or public order concerns.

Under the Non-Open Access model: articles will be published under traditional subscription or paid-access arrangements; copyright arrangements and licensing conditions will be negotiated separately with authors; the journal will clearly mark the access status in the article’s metadata to ensure full transparency. The proportion of Non-Open Access articles will be strictly controlled to ensure that the journal’s overall Open Access character is not diluted. The editorial team retains final decision-making authority over the approval of Non-Open Access publication, and this decision will not affect the academic standards of peer review.

Aims, Scope, and Core Areas

TPS is rooted in the rich scholarly traditions of theatre studies and performance studies while actively responding to the plural transformations of contemporary performance practice. The journal’s fundamental position is that theatre and performance research requires historical depth, theoretical sharpness, and continuous dialogue with practice. We reject the narrow reduction of “theatre” to the analysis of literary texts, just as we reject the infinite expansion of “performance” to the point of losing analytical purchase. TPS strives to maintain a creative tension between text and body, between theatricality and everyday life, between aesthetic analysis and political critique.

The journal covers all fields of theatre and performance studies and especially welcomes high-quality submissions in the following areas:

Theatre History and Historiography

  • Theatre history across all periods and civilisational regions

  • Histories of the theatre: the historical evolution of space, architecture, and spectator-performer relations

  • Methodologies of theatre historiography: archives, oral history, and historical writing

  • The formation, dissemination, and reception of classical theatrical traditions

  • Theatre history in colonial and postcolonial contexts

  • Non-Western narratives of theatre history and the rewriting of global theatre history

Theatre Theory and Criticism

  • Classical traditions of theatre theory: from Aristotle to Brecht

  • Narrative theatre, epic theatre, theatre of the absurd, and postdramatic theatre theory

  • The theoretical genealogy of Performance Studies

  • Theatre semiotics, phenomenology, and reception theory

  • The history, function, and contemporary challenges of theatre criticism

  • Postmodernism, poststructuralism, and theatre

  • Tragedy, comedy, tragicomedy, and contemporary reflections on genre theory

Dramaturgy and Textual Studies

  • Literary analysis and stylistic studies of dramatic texts

  • Contemporary rereadings of canonical playwrights: Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov, Beckett, and others

  • Contemporary playwriting and new writing practices: documentary theatre, collective creation, and postdramatic texts

  • Adaptation theory and practice: from novel to stage, from stage to screen

  • Translation and the circulation of transcultural playwriting

  • Women playwrights, marginalised playwrights, and minority drama writing

Directing, Acting, and Actor Training

  • Studies of directing theory and directorial styles

  • Major acting methods: Stanislavski, Meisner, Grotowski, Suzuki, and others

  • Comparative actor training systems and intercultural training methods

  • Body, voice, and performance techniques

  • Improvisation, collective creation, and devised theatre

  • Psychological, emotional, and ethical dimensions of the actor-character relationship

  • Performance in the digital age and virtual actors

Space, Scenography, and Stage Design

  • The history of stage design and contemporary theatre design

  • Lighting design, sound design, and multimedia theatre

  • The politics of theatrical space: immersive, site-specific, and environmental theatre

  • Costume, makeup, and the visual construction of character

  • Stage technology and sustainable theatre practices

  • Virtual stages: digital scenography, projection mapping, and mixed-reality performance

  • The relationship between theatre architecture and urban space

Musical Theatre, Opera, and Intermedial Performance

  • The history, aesthetics, and industry of musical theatre

  • Opera studies: from Baroque to contemporary experimental opera

  • Dance drama, ballet, and dance theatre

  • Intermedial performance: theatre and film, television, and digital media

  • Puppet theatre, shadow theatre, and object theatre

  • Circus, acrobatics, and physical performance at the limits of the body

  • The dramatic functions of music and sound in theatre

Applied Theatre and Community Performance

  • Theatre education: curriculum, pedagogy, and aesthetic education

  • Applied theatre: Theatre in Education, community theatre, and theatre in non-traditional settings

  • Drama therapy, psychodrama, and rehabilitation theatre

  • Prison theatre, marginalised community theatre, and social inclusion

  • Theatre and conflict transformation, peacebuilding

  • Theatre for development and Global South practices

  • Senior theatre, intergenerational performance, and community engagement

Political Theatre and Protest Performance

  • The traditions and contemporary forms of political theatre

  • Protest, demonstrations, and street performance

  • Censorship, taboo, and theatrical freedom

  • Exile theatre, refugee theatre, and diasporic performance

  • Feminist theatre and gender politics

  • Queer performance and body politics

  • Ecological theatre, climate crisis, and performance activism

  • Postcolonial theatre and decolonial performance practices

Cultural Performance and Ritual Studies

  • Ritual, festival, and religious performance

  • Folk performance, traditional opera, and oral traditions

  • Theorising cultural performance: from Turner to Schechner

  • Intangible cultural heritage and the continuity of performance

  • Tourist performance, cultural display, and authenticity

  • Performance in everyday life: social roles and self-presentation

  • Intercultural performance and cultural flows in globalisation

Dance and Body Studies

  • Dance history: from classical ballet to contemporary dance

  • Dance theory: body, kinaesthesia, and choreographic analysis

  • Modern dance, postmodern dance, and conceptual dance

  • Body and embodiment: dialogues between phenomenology and cognitive science

  • Dance anthropology and ethnographic methods

  • Choreographic process research and the dramatisation of dance

  • Digital dance: motion capture, virtual bodies, and AI choreography

Puppet, Shadow, and Object Performance

  • History, typology, and regional traditions of puppet theatre

  • Aesthetics, techniques, and cultural transmission of shadow theatre

  • Object theatre and material performance

  • Masks, puppets, and the symbolic construction of character

  • Innovation and interdisciplinarity in contemporary puppetry

  • Animation, robotics, and non-human performers in performance

Media, Technology, and Digital Performance

  • Digital theatre, networked performance, and telepresence

  • Virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and immersive performance

  • Social media performance, live streaming culture, and online audiences

  • Artificial intelligence, generative art, and the future of performance

  • Digital archives, performance documentation, and remediation

  • Performance, role-playing, and narrative in video games

  • Philosophy of technological performance: presence and absence of the virtual body

Theatre Management and Cultural Policy

  • Theatre management, festival curation, and production

  • Cultural policy and funding for the performing arts

  • Ecologies of independent theatre, non-profit theatre, and commercial theatre

  • Theatre audience research: participation, experience, and development

  • International touring, cultural diplomacy, and performing arts exchange

  • Creative cities, cultural districts, and performing arts infrastructure

  • Theatre survival and transformation in the post-pandemic era

Interdisciplinary Dialogue
TPS consistently welcomes boundary-crossing scholarship from literary studies, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, history, cultural studies, media studies, musicology, dance studies, art history, psychology, education, gender studies, postcolonial studies, and related fields, provided it carries a clear connection to theatre and performance.

Sections and Article Types

To foster a multi-dimensional space for scholarly dialogue, TPS maintains the following regular sections:

 
 
Section Description
Original Research Articles Full-length papers presenting original research or theoretical development; the core of the journal
Review Articles Systematic, integrative, and critical overviews of a field or topic in theatre and performance studies
Theoretical Essays Papers focused on theatre theory, performance theory, or critical theory
Performance Reviews In-depth analytical reviews of significant recent productions, theatre festivals, or performance events
Artist Studies In-depth studies of individual directors, actors, playwrights, stage designers, or performance ensembles
Special Issues / Thematic Symposia Thematically coherent collections of articles, typically led by invited guest editors, on specific theatre and performance topics
Debates and Dialogues Multi-perspective exchanges on a significant theatrical issue, theoretical position, or critical trend
Interviews and Conversations Extended scholarly dialogues with major theatre practitioners, performance artists, directors, scholars, or curators
Book Reviews In-depth critical reviews of important recent books in theatre and performance studies and related disciplines
Reflective Practice Theoretically informed reflective articles written by theatre practitioners (directors, actors, playwrights, designers, theatre educators, etc.), based on creative and pedagogical practice
Field Reports Preliminary reports and findings based on performance fieldwork, rehearsal observations, backstage ethnography, or oral history sources

The journal especially welcomes proposals for Special Issues submitted jointly by scholars and theatre practitioners. We encourage proposals that bring together deep, multi-perspectival discussion from multiple disciplines, methods, and regions around a pressing theatre and performance issue, and we welcome guest-editing teams that include scholars, artists, theatre companies, and cultural institutions to foster genuine integration of theory and practice.

5. Editorial Policies and Peer Review

Editorial Structure

TPS is led by an Editor-in-Chief, supported by Regional Editors, Associate Editors, and an international Editorial Board whose members represent the full breadth of relevant specialisms, including theatre history, theatre theory, performance studies, directing studies, dance studies, applied theatre, theatre design, and theatre management. The editorial team is committed to:

  • Upholding the journal’s scholarly integrity and intellectual quality;

  • Ensuring a fair, transparent, and efficient review process;

  • Advancing the journal’s role as an open international forum for theatre and performance research.

The composition of the Editorial Board reflects genuine diversity in geography, gender, intellectual tradition, disciplinary background, and career stage, to ensure that the journal broadly represents the plurality of voices in global theatre and performance scholarship.

Peer Review Process

TPS operates a double-anonymous review system: reviewers do not know authors’ identities, and authors do not know reviewers’ identities. This policy is designed to minimise biases related to prestige, institutional affiliation, gender, or nationality.

The standard process is as follows:

  1. Initial Editorial Screening: All submissions are first assessed by the Editor-in-Chief or an Associate Editor for scholarly quality, originality, and fit. Manuscripts that are clearly unsuitable or have significant scholarly deficiencies are desk-rejected, usually within 1–2 weeks, with an explanatory note.

  2. External Review: Manuscripts that pass initial screening are sent to 2–3 external reviewers with relevant expertise for double-anonymous evaluation. For manuscripts involving interdisciplinary intersections or practice-oriented research, editors will invite reviewers from different academic backgrounds or with practical experience.

  3. Editorial Decision: Based on the reviewers’ reports and the journal’s overall standards, the editor makes a decision of “Accept,” “Minor Revision,” “Major Revision,” or “Reject,” and provides integrated constructive feedback.

  4. Revision and Re-review: Revised manuscripts may be assessed directly by the editor or sent back to reviewers. TPS aims to notify authors of the final decision within 8–12 weeks of initial submission.

TPS does not accept simultaneous submissions. Allegations of research misconduct—including plagiarism, improper use of images, data fabrication, unethical authorship practices, and undisclosed use of AI-generated content—are taken seriously and handled in accordance with the best-practice guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Statement on the Use of Images and Audiovisual Materials

Given that theatre and performance research frequently involves production images, stage photographs, rehearsal video excerpts, musical score excerpts, and script fragments, TPS specifically requires authors to ensure that all image and audiovisual materials used have obtained the necessary permissions, or fall within the principles of fair use. When dealing with production photographs and rehearsal footage still under copyright protection, authors should make every effort to obtain permission from photographers, directors, playwrights, production companies, or rights management organisations. When working with culturally sensitive ritual performances or community traditional performance materials, authors should respect the cultural rights and ethical norms of the source communities and provide informed consent where applicable. For archival materials where the copyright holder cannot be traced, authors should explain the basis for their use and their judgement criteria.

Author Rights and Responsibilities

Author Rights

  • Copyright retention: Regardless of whether an article is published under the Open Access or Non-Open Access model, authors retain full copyright of their work. No exclusive copyright transfer is required.

  • Open Access articles: Authors grant the journal the right to publish the work under the CC BY 4.0 licence, securing the widest possible attribution and reuse rights globally.

  • Non-Open Access articles: Copyright arrangements and licensing conditions will be negotiated separately between the author and the journal, and specified in a written agreement before publication.

  • Persistent identifiers: All published works, regardless of publication model, will be assigned permanent Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) and disseminated across multiple indexing platforms to ensure visibility and longevity.

Author Responsibilities

Authors are expected to ensure that: the submission is original and previously unpublished; all named authors have made substantive contributions and approved the submission; all sources are accurately cited; all image, audio, and video materials have been used with the necessary permissions or in accordance with fair use principles; research involving human subjects, performers, fieldwork, or community participation complies with relevant ethical standards and provides information on ethical review approval where applicable; all use of AI tools has been truthfully declared; and no undisclosed conflicts of interest exist.

Why Choose TPS?

  • Spanning all fields of theatre and performance studies: From classical theatre history to contemporary digital performance, from dramaturgical textual analysis to embodied practice research, from stage design to theatre management, TPS provides a unified scholarly platform for every branch of theatre and performance studies. Whatever your area of focus, you will find conversation partners here.

  • Open Access as the primary principle: As an OA-first journal, your research becomes immediately available to readers worldwide with no economic barriers upon publication. Scholarship in theatre and performance studies can thereby reach beyond academic circles and be freely accessed and used by artists, theatre companies, theatre educators, cultural policy-makers, and the public, maximising its social impact.

  • A flexible mechanism respecting special publication needs: We understand that theatre and performance research involves substantial amounts of image, video, and textual materials still under copyright protection, and that certain ritual performances and community traditions carry cultural sensitivity. TPS’s Non-Open Access option ensures that when necessary, your research can be published in a prudent manner without compromising scholarly quality.

Hengbai Academic Bookseller & Publishing LLC

Always Open for Submissions
We accept submissions year-round with no deadline restrictions. Work at your own pace and submit when your research is ready—no cutoff date applies.

Peer‑Review
All manuscripts undergo a robust peer‑review process to ensure they meet rigorous standards of scientific validity, methodological soundness, and significance to the research community.

Online First
Accepted articles are published online immediately upon acceptance, without waiting for issue compilation. This ensures your findings reach the scientific community as rapidly as possible.

Publishing Models

Open Access
Your work will be permanently available online, free to download, share, and read, maximizing academic impact and global visibility.

Non‑Open Access (Subscription)
We offer a traditional subscription‑based pathway that protects copyright and accommodates commercial reuse, suitable for authors with specific publication policy requirements.

Our Mission: Preserving and Disseminating Scholarly Knowledge

We provide a comprehensive digital platform dedicated to the preservation and open dissemination of academic research. Our services include:

  • Repository for Diverse Scholarly Materials – We accept and host a wide range of academic content, including research papers, manuscripts, printed publications, and electronic versions of journals. This includes materials from discontinued journals, lost or rare print editions, sole surviving copies, and publications from defunct presses—ensuring that valuable scholarly heritage is not lost to time.

  • Preprint Repository Across All Disciplines – Researchers are welcome to submit and publish preprints covering all fields of study, including natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, and interdisciplinary research. Submissions are accepted in multiple languages: English, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Japanese, and other languages.

  • Free and Open Access – Submission, publication, and viewing of preprints are completely free of charge. All content is made publicly available online at no cost to readers.

  • Reusable Under Author‑Defined Terms – To maximize the reach and impact of scholarly work, users may reuse, reproduce, or redistribute content for public purposes, subject to the terms specified by the author. This flexible framework encourages broader dissemination and collaboration across the global research community.

Our Community

We partner with like-minded individuals and organizations to develop open infrastructure that enables the publication of open-access works, the sharing of our academic journals through open platforms and services, and the global promotion of our vision and core values. Below is a selection of our partner organizations.