In modern societies, the performing arts form a distinct category of public entertainment in opposition to the mass distribution through the media of expertly staged performances which have been recorded and edited. By contrast, theater, ballet, circus, concert, rodeo, storytelling, etc., unfold their signs in real space and time, and engage audiences who respond cognitively and emotionally on the spot. Performers and audiences are involved in shared enjoyment. But sometimes frustration occurs within the boundaries of such ritualistic events. In industrialized and computerized cultures, the performing arts become economically unstable because the institutions which sustain them increasingly depend on public and corporate funding. However, they retain their power of fascination for large, if not massive audiences, who prize the experiential, risk-loaded and one-time event quality they afford. In traditional and local cultures, performances still survive and provide their audiences with a unique fulfillment in smaller scale, economically sustainable institutional settings.
* ritualistic: 의식의