美國當代藝術批評家邁克爾·弗雷德在1967年發表的《藝術與物性》中提出:戲劇是位于各門藝術之間的東西,當造型藝術向劇場傾斜時,造型藝術就失去了自身的價值。弗雷德這篇關于極簡主義藝術的批評在造型藝術領域已經引起了許多討論,但其中涉及戲劇的重要觀點,還沒有在戲劇學領域引起足夠的重視。當代戲劇不斷地拓展其邊界,與其他各門藝術相互融合,構成難以定義、界限模糊的作品,要觀察和評判這樣的戲劇,弗雷德所闡述的劇場性與在場性兩個概念為我們提供了一種獨特的視角。

Michael Fried, the American critic of contemporary art, proposed in "Art and Objecthood"in 1967 that theatre is something between arts. When plastic arts show singularities of theatre,they lose their own value. The critique about minimalism has been well discussed in the field of plastic arts. However,the point Michael Fried made is also related to theatre. This article of his should also be noticed from the perspective of theatre. When the contemporary theatre extends and hybridizes with other arts to become undefinable and ambiguous work of art,theatricality and presentness proposed by Fried provide a particular point of view to observe and value contemporary theatre.