Between women: Inverting the audience. Four feminist performances.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Feminist spectator reception theory began, in the 1980's in performance studies, to theorize lesbian subversion as a consummation of visibility politics and theatrical identifications. Reception theories speculated, for instance that, on the basis of her appearance, a woman dressed in male clothing is an anti-hegemonic force within patriarchy, whereas a woman dressed in women's clothing is a sell-out who costs her sisters' politics. This dissertation suggests that feminist theories of visibility in reception theory have not served women well in performance studies. Theories that emphasize visible appearance elide any real possibilities for a feminist performance theory, for they treat performance in binary dimensions of surface and depth. To treat performance as a readable surface risks ensnaring feminist subversions in performance within the very same patriarchal fantasies that limit women's lives daily. This dissertation offers alternative readings to four feminist performances including The Five Lesbian Brothers in <italic>Secretaries</italic>, Dominique Dibbell's <italic>Buried</italic>, Lisa Kron's <italic>2.5 Minute Ride</italic>, and Ally Sheedy and Maggie Moore in <italic>Hedwig and the Angry Inch</italic>.