What is theatre?

In a broad sense, it seems that theatre consists of actors, separated from an audience, performing on a stage. The stage, or area where the performance occurs, “serves to define the acting and audience spaces and organize the theatre space as well as provide facilities for the actors and the tech crew as well as for the audience” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theater_(structure)). When I think of the traditional model of theatre, I view an audience filing into a performance hall, sitting down in rows of seats, and watching actors perform on a formal stage. However, other types of performances, straying from this traditional model of theater, can be encompassed in the definition of theatre. For example, informal theatre-like events include sporting events such as football. The Super Bowl clip we watched in class included actors (football players) performing (playing football) on a stage (the football field) separated from the audience (the fans in the arena). The broad definition of theatre could also be applied to the classroom setting. The professor (the actor) is performing (presenting information) in front of an audience (the students) who are separate from the professor (the students are seated in the classroom while the professor stands at the front). Thus, theatre seems to exist in everyday life, not just the formal settings that are traditionally come to mind.