The Text
Ellis believes that once the author has no control of the work, then it takes on a life of its own, much like a coat which looks different on whoever wears it. "Once the work is completed and the author has no control over what happens with the text, then it becomes a separate entity disconnected from the author. Whoever reads the work from then on, can place their own meaning based on their own knowledge of their world on the work, whether or not they choose to research into the author themselves. When a company stage a work, they bring their own meaning to it again. A work is just paper covered in words, a building made of bricks. The words are the bricks, when you look at one brick on its own; you as an individual bring your own meaning to what the brick means, based on your own knowledge of the world. Thus each person can have an entirely different view on a work, because each person will interpret words differently."
Contents
The Audience
Continuing with the idea that the text is transient, "once the text is performed and has been stamped with the meaning given by the company who are staging it, the spoken words, nuances and visual aspects of the production add to the meaning for the audience, although everything is subjective for each individual member."
Performance
Ellis says "a performance does not need to be planned and can have an audience of any size, although it needs to seek to create a reaction, even if it just makes the audience think about what is happening."