Contemporary discourse in theatrical studies has long acknowledged the affinity between theatrical performance and social performativity, as well as the need to understand theater as a socio-cultural event – one which is neither confined to a direct discussion of theatrical products, nor satisfied with the semiotics of the theater or counter-semiotic approaches. From this standpoint, the theater is a "field" interacting with other fields, involved in both internal and external power relations. In order to view the theatrical event as a contextual one, we will study the anthropological and sociological approaches, followed by an approach whose rationale is ideological –post-colonialism, to which key concepts in feminist and gender related theories will be added, regarding all these theories with a critical gaze. Theoretical viewpoints will be illustrated by performances and other artistic and cultural manifestations.