Mapping social occasions in theatre events : a network analysis of spectators' interactions

This paper presents a study that tries to map social interactions among spectators in theatre venues, by means of social network analysis and participant observation. Different types of theatre venue may be related to dissimilar modes of participation and, thus, to different patterns of relations among attenders. Drawing on Goffman's concept of "social occasion", the study is focused on the social gatherings occurring in two different settings: a traditional theatre and an informal space, both located in the Campania region, Italy, during two theatre events, using sociometric questionnaires and observing theatregoers' conversations. The results show that the networks of interactions are differently patterned in the two locations, giving an account of how different venues can be related to different kinds of social occasions. [Publisher's text].