<Tr> <Td> Keir Elam, The Semiotics of Theatre and Drama, p. 90 </Td> </Tr> <P>' Presentational acting', in this sense, refers to a relationship that acknowledges the audience, whether directly by addressing them, or indirectly through a general attitude or specific use of language, looks, gestures or other signs that indicate that the character or actor is aware of the audience's presence . (Shakespeare's use of punning and wordplay, for example, often has this function of indirect contact .) </P> <P>' Representational acting', in this sense, refers to a relationship in which the audience is studiously ignored and treated as' peeping tom' voyeurs by an actor who remains in - character and absorbed in the dramatic action . The actor behaves as if a fourth wall was present, which maintains an absolute autonomy of the dramatic fiction from the reality of the theatre . </P> <P> Robert Weimann argues that: </P>

The asian classical forms provide examples of presentational acting style