The roles of public theater are to provide the dominant social force an opportunity to convey their worldview to the populace, and to define reality. It may be that established ritual is in part a straitjacket, leaving only the choice of following the ritual to the letter or rejecting it wholly. Thus performance is real politics, forcing a level of commitment to a particular set of actions. One possible result of the dynamics between performer and audience may have been the elevation of individual performers to a role of importance in the community--not unlike that seen in modern societies today.

This is the east court of Copán, where the wide steps may well have been used for part of the stages or as seating for audience members.

More information and sources:

• The Role of the Plaza in Maya Festivals, more on the project by Takeshi Inomata
• Copán, a bit more about the site.
• Takeshi Inomata. 2006. Plazas, perfomers and spectators: Political theaters of the Classic Maya. Current Anthropology 47(5):805-842