Emancipated worshipers? Performance studies and the question of participation in Anglican Eucharistic liturgy

Abstract

ABSTRACT This soapbox article, which concentrates on liturgical (and especially Eucharistic) worship in my own context of English Anglicanism, has two main aims. First, to name antitheatrical prejudice as a limiting factor in our analysis of liturgy and worship. Second, to argue that we should pay attention to the resonances between theology and performance studies. I suggest that exploring these questions might refresh our reflections about what happens in worship. It will pay particular attention to the question of ‘participation’, as this has been an important area of debate in both liturgical and performance studies in recent years, and so forms a natural point of contact. The article begins with a brief overview of how participation has been understood in theatre and performance studies, including the value of participation as a concept and the problems of assuming that ‘participation’ is straightforwardly positive. Next, it more explicitly addresses how these understandings might apply to worship, acknowledging in the process some potential risks. It concludes by arguing that these risks are not simply necessary but unavoidable, and a chastening of our claims for participation might lead to a more honest assessment of both the opportunities and the limitations presented by participation in liturgy.