performersthose

Performersthose is a term used in contemporary performance discourse to describe artists and groups whose practices foreground the performer's relationship with audiences across multiple modalities. In common usage, it refers to works that blend live stage presence with digital or networked elements—such as video, livestream, interactive media, and social platforms—and that invite participants to influence the course of a performance.

The coinage appears in online art-writing in the early 2020s. Its exact origin is unclear; some writers suggest it blends 'performer' with a fragment from 'those' to emphasize collective participant roles, while others treat it as a catch-all for hybrid practices. It has not been widely adopted in formal art-historical lexicon.

Practice and scope often describe performances that are site-specific, time-limited, and dependent on audience input; they may occur in galleries, theaters, or online spaces. The label is most often used by critics and festival programmers. It can apply to solo artists and collaborative ensembles.

Reception and issues center on definitional clarity. Some scholars caution that the term is loosely defined and risks conflating diverse techniques; others see value in a unifying descriptor for hybrid practices. Critics note ambiguity around ownership, authorship, and the performer's role with audiences in digital environments.

See also: performance art, interactive theatre, digital theater, audience participation.