Live performance - dance or theatre


You may need to consult more than one section of Re:cite to accurately represent the source used. Your citation may look different depending on the number of authors it has. Check the About Chicago B page for further advice.


Live performances - dance or theatre may include (but is not limited to) theatre, dance, music theatre or spoken word performances. For live music performances, refer to live performance - music.

In-text citation example

(The Mountaintop, by Katori Hall, directed by Alkinos Tsilimidos, Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, December 4, 2013.)

OR

In a performance of Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop at the Fairfax Studio on December 4, 2013 ….

OR

… under the direction of Alkinos Tsilimidos in Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop (Fairfax Studio, Melbourne, December 4, 2013).

Reference list

Reference list template

Citations of live performances should generally be weaved into the text and may therefore be omitted from the reference list. However they should be included if they form a critical part of your research, or if they are frequently cited. Check with your lecturer if you are unsure.

This example is provided for those who do need to include an entry in a reference list. Note that recordings of live performances should be treated as a recording.

Title of Performance. Year. [By] Author of Script. [Directed/Performed by] Director(s)/Performer(s). Venue, Place of Performance, Month Day [of performance].

Reference list example

The Mountaintop. 2013. By Katori Hall. Directed by Alkinos Tsilimidos. Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, December 4.

Tips for this reference type

  • See Manual 14.166 and Turabian 19.5.1.
  • As live performances are ephemeral and cannot be consulted (unlike recordings), they generally do not require a reference list entry.
  • Cite recordings of live performances as per the recorded medium (i.e. DVD, online video, sound recording). Relevant examples are at 14.163, 14.164, and 14.165.
  • Include the names of additional performers or contributors as appropriate.
  • If citing a specific part of a larger work, include the title in quotation marks as per a book chapter (i.e. "Agony," Into the Woods, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim…) see Manual 8.196
  • If the performance of an individual is important to your research, list that person's name before the title of the work (i.e. Cate Blanchett, actor, Uncle Vanya, by Anton Chekhov…)
  • Author-date reference list entries that include a month and day (as for a newspaper article) do not need to repeat the year with the month and day. The year of publication follows the author’s name; the month and day are placed as normal (14.89).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)