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Bill Irwin's "The Regard Of Flight" might well be subtitled "What is New Theater, and what was wrong with the Old Theater?" In his current engagement at Lincoln Center's Mitzi Newhouse Theatre, New York, Irwin explores the conventions of traditional theater, while simultaneously questioning his own search for an alternative.

The much-lauded Irwin is well qualified to lead this investigation. The recipient of both a Guggenheim Fellowship and a five-year MacArthur Fellowship, Irwin is a clown, mime, dancer and illusionist who is equally at home performing the classics.

In "The Regard Of Flight," a sleeping Irwin awakens to face an actor's nightmare: he is on stage, facing an audience, but doesn't know what play he's doing. Included in this nightmare are an insolent critic, (played by M.C. O'Connor) and an accompanist (Doug Skinner), who appears to be the only character on stage who knows the script. From here the play meanders through Irwin's psyche, probing his concerns as a performer.

The show is a must-see for theater professionals and anyone who has searched forspontaneity on stage. Contemporary directors, attempting to bridge the gulf between performer and audience, frequently shun realism. They spurn the notion that a spectator could forget that he is in a theater and become convinced that he is watching life. In lieu of realism, modern directors seek a shared experience, an acknowledgment of the complicity between player and playgoer.

Irwin, a hero of the avant-garde set, dutifully recites the new actors credo to the critic: "I'm trying to be here, in this space right now. It's a leap of faith. It's a leap you can't make with a device." In response, the critic bounces on stage via a trampoline, utterly destroying Irwin's simplistic dismissal of devices.

Even funnier is a scene in which an autocratic director bullies Irwin into a traditional rendition of Shakespeare. "Loosen it up, baby. Bigger! Classicalize it!" the director bellows. The performers in the audience hooted.

Cerebral though this may sound, "The Regard Of Flight" is, in fact, a show for the whole family. As the protagonist, Irwin gets to use his clowning skills, performing pratfalls with Chaplinesque skill. He also has a number of mimetic tricks up his sleeve. He repeatedly appears to be sucked offstage by a giant vacuum cleaner and he can sit inside a steamer trunk and make it look like he's walking down a set of stairs.

"The Regard Of Flight" continues through Aug. 9 at The Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, Lincoln Center, New York. For curtain times and ticket information, call: 212-787-6868.

Susan Chase is a free-lance theater reviewer for The Morning Call.

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