Within the promotion of a culture of liveness hallmarked by the cross-fertilisation of languages, techniques and methods, this paper analyses a phenomenon, as yet little explored in Italy, that characterises late-20th-century theatre research: Performance Studies. In looking to understand their genealogical path, starting from the writings and theories of some of its most authoritative scholars (Peggy Phelan, Diana Taylor, Rebecca Schneider etc.), we link the results achieved by Performance Studies with the ideas of Richard Schechner, rightly considered the father of the subject, in particular with his famous essay Restoration of behavior (1981).