It all depends on the interpretation.

Literature is “written works that are considered to be very good and to have lasting importance.”  Examples of literature would be a novel, poems, plays, and newspapers.  Performance is “an activity that a person or group does to entertain an audience.”  Examples of performance would be singing, dancing, acting, and stand-up comedy.  

In both literature and performance, there is an author trying to convey a message.  In literature the reader is reading directly what the author wrote.  In a performance, the audience is getting the director’s interpretation of what the author wrote. The message should still be evident even though the director is interpreting it.  

Both literature and performance have an audience/reader.  The audiences can be similar.  For example, there are audience members or readers who write a critique about what they liked and disliked.  These critiques are both used to tell others why the should or shouldn’t be interested in the piece of literature or performance.  This is one of the ways that an audience could share their opinions.  

 An audience at a performance also experience the show together.  Usually people in the audience are there to enjoy the show with a friend.  This differs from literature where the audience is usually one reader sitting in a quiet place.  The readers may share their thoughts on a piece of literature, but the sharing is different than the audience members who shared  the same experience at the same time.  

Another way that the audiences differ is in the connection with what they are seeing.  In literature, the author has already expressed all of their thoughts and it will be the same reading every time the book is read.  With this said, the reader's perspective may change, but the written word will stay the same.  In a performance, regardless of what type, the show will be slightly different each time it is performed. Even with the exact same actors, crew, director, lighting, costumes, etc. It could be as simple as a line is forgotten, or someone trips.  Maybe there is even a problem that isn’t the performers fault.  For example, when “Measure for Measure” was performed in the black box, one of the nights a bat started flying around.  This caused a slight interruption in the show.  This is the same with a musical performance.  If a performer plays the song twice, they may not sound exactly the same.  Unless the musician makes a big error, it is probably less noticeable than a theater performance.  

 Overall, literature and performance share some similarities, but have many differences too.  Some of the similarities are the fact that the author is trying to convey a message through their writing.  Another is that the readers or the audience write critiques to share their thoughts with others.  Audiences at performances also share their thoughts with the people around them, while a reader usually is alone or in a quiet place while enjoying literature.  Another way that literature and performance differ is that the written work does not change, while a performance will most likely change each night it is performed.  Even though literature and performance may have differences they are both written at first  Then performance takes the written work a step further.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/performance

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literature