Re-Dressing the Canon

<p><em>Re-Dressing the Canon</em> examines the relationship between gender and performance in a series of essays which combine the critique of specific live performances with an astute theoretical analysis. Alisa Solomon discusses both canonical texts and contemporary productions in a lively jargon-free style. Among the dramatic texts considered are those of <strong>Aristophanes Ibsen Yiddish theatre Mabou Mines Deborah Warner Shakespeare Brecht Split Britches Ridiculous Theatre</strong> and <strong>Tony Kushner</strong>.<br> Bringing to bear theories of 'gender performativity' upon theatrical events the author explores:<br> * the 'double disguise' of cross-dressed boy-actresses<br> * how gender relates to genre (particularly in Ibsens' realism)<br> * how canonical theatre represented gender in ways which maintain traditional images of masculinity and femininity.</p>