Street performance
Street performance is live artistic entertainment presented in public spaces, often by performers who invite voluntary donations from passersby.
Busking: Performing in public places for voluntary donations or other contributions. The common donation-based form of street performance.
Minstrels: Medieval European entertainers who performed music, poetry, and other arts for audiences, often while traveling. They belong to older traditions of itinerant public entertainment.
Street music: Music performed in public places, often by musicians seeking voluntary contributions. Music is among the most widespread forms of donation-based street performance.
Public space: Places accessible to the public, such as streets, squares, and parks. These shared settings make spontaneous performances possible.
Audience participation: An artistic practice in which audience members actively contribute to a performance. Passersby may become participants rather than remain spectators.
Commedia dell'arte: An Italian form of improvisational theatre that developed in the sixteenth century, using masked stock characters. Its outdoor performances and comic improvisation influenced later popular theatre.
Street magic: Magic performed for audiences in public spaces, commonly using close-up tricks and crowd interaction. Its direct engagement makes it well suited to gathering passersby.
Urban vitality: The liveliness and social activity of a city’s public spaces. Performers can attract people and animate streets and plazas.
Street theatre: Theatre performed in public spaces, often engaging directly with people who happen upon it. A theatrical form built for streets and public gathering places.
Vaudeville: A popular theatrical entertainment built from short, varied acts such as comedy, music, and acrobatics. Its assortment of brief acts resembles the variety found in street performance.