Theatre is different from all other forms of theatrical presentation because it is live.
In many ways, the presentation of drama in theatre, film and television are much alike: Both offer a story told in dramatic form – an enactment of scenes by performers who speak and act as if they were actually the people they represent.
There is a fundamental difference when we contrast theatre to movies (and it has nothing to do with technical differences) – it is in the relationship of the performer to the audience.
The experience of being in the presence of the performer is more important to theatre than anything else.
At the heart of the theatre experience is the performer – audience relationship: the immediate, personal exchange whose chemistry and magic give theatre its special quality.