PBS Idea Channel host Mike Rugnetta explores whether cosplay counts as a form of theater. Specifically, Rugnetta argues that theater hasn’t needed a traditional stage in ages.
COMICON SEASON IS UPON US!! Tens of thousands of fans will fill convention centers, stand in endless lines, and many will even dress up as their favorite fictional characters (aka Cosplay). Why, you might ask, do people cosplay? Well, they cosplay to celebrate a character, to make an awesome costume, to BE awesome, and for some, maybe even to BECOME the character. This embodiment of a character is essentially a performance, so does that make cosplay theater?! Can theater exist without directors, scripts, or even a stage??!!
