In contrast to what is commonly regarded as 'literature' or 'poetry', renga ('linked verse') is not only composed in a group, but 'performed' by its members. This performance, which follows certain rules, involves the production of manuscripts, which have been subject to certain rules themselves in the course of history. Focusing on renga in Classical Japanese, this paper outlines the process behind both a pre-modern and a contemporary renga session and describes how manuscripts are created and used in these procedures and in which larger performative and ritual contexts these actions are embedded. Finally, an examination is made of the extent to which Western concepts of 'performance' from performance theory are applicable to these procedures and what traditional Japanese terminology is available to describe them.