Performing Gender
More than any other artistic discipline, theatre has a long history of performers crossing the gender divide. But how does the artifice of a constructed gender performance relate to and comment on the fact we spend much of our everyday lives performing gender roles, often unconsciously? Are our entire lives a kind of performance?
Zoe Coombs Marr is an acclaimed writer and comedian whose show Dave has turned gender stereotypes upside down, while delighting sell-out audiences. Zoe is joined by Paul Capsis, an actor and singer who explores the notion of gender fluidity in his work, Jez Pez, a queer trans youth worker, and audio investigator Roslyn Oades. The final part of Roslyn’s audio trilogy examining courage is I’m Your Man, a revealing insight into male speech patterns in boxing, as heard through verbatim performances via headphones.
Together, they’ll look at how masculinity is portrayed in performance, and how rooted it is in the art itself, illuminating its many facets, flaws and strengths. This intriguing and subversive take on the male psyche will be facilitated by renowned actor and director Jane Montgomery Griffiths.
Men Overboard
What does it mean to be a man – or a boy – in the 21st century? How far have we come in shedding the macho expectations of the past … and to what extent do we still perform our gender roles on a daily basis? Do we still believe that boys are made of slugs and snails and puppy dogs’ tails, or that real men don’t eat quiche? This insightful series explores masculinity through talk, performance and across the generations.
Featuring
Jez Pez is a queer trans man. Professionally he works as a youth worker, educator and project manager in the field of trans and gender diversity. Jez is the creator of Dude magazine, a resource about trans masculinity and sexuality. Jez recently managed a national trans sexual health program with Bu... Read more
Roslyn Oades is a theatre-maker and performer. She has a long-standing interest in audio-driven performance projects, and is best known for her pioneering work in headphone-verbatim theatre. As a writer/director, her productions include: I’m Your Man (Belvoir/Sydney Festival/Mobile States national... Read more
Jane Montgomery Griffiths is an actor, writer and academic. Currently Director of Monash University’s Centre for Theatre and Performance, Jane is an expert on Greek drama and theories of performance, and has taught at Cambridge, Leeds, Melbourne, and La Trobe universities. She has acted with many ... Read more
Paul Capsis is a playwright, performer, actor and singer. Capsis co-wrote the one man autobiographical play Angela’s Kitchen, which won him 2012 Helpmann Awards for both Best Male Actor in a Play and Best New Australian Work. His career takes him beyond the stages of the world’s leading theatre ... Read more
Zoë Coombs Marr is a performer, writer, artist and comedian. She grew up in Grafton, where she and her best friend staged a musical instead of going to schoolies week. She has a double degree in Performance Studies at UNSW and Fine Arts at COFA, where she was awarded the Dinosaur Designs Prize and ... Read more
Watch, Listen, Read
Watch
Ma Thida: Myanmar’s Struggle for Democracy
Listen
Global Game Changers: The Evolution of the Olympic Games
Watch
Surveillance, Technology and AI: Meredith Whittaker in Conversation
Watch
No Place Like Home: Australia’s Housing Affordability Crisis
Listen
Surveillance Technology and AI: Meredith Whittaker in Conversation
Read