The Loser and Joy With Child - Creative Explorations of Masculinity

Kim Wiltshire, Gayle Hare (Producer), Kerry Irvine (Producer)

    Research output: Non-textual formPerformance

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    Abstract

    This output consists of two original plays, Practice as Research (PaR) iterations of an ongoing investigation, informed by WILTSHIRE’s doctoral research on masculinity. Developing Connell’s (1995) exploration of hegemonic masculinity and Butler’s (1990, 2004) foregrounding of performativity and notional choice, gender is explored through character weaknesses and strengths, foregrounding and representing politics of social class, power, and gender. The monologues, titledThe Loser, were developed with North West Playwrights, and had public readings (Capitol Theatre, Manchester Metropolitan University; Oldham Coliseum, 2009) before production by Scenepool, at People’s Theatre, Camden, London. Specific sections were published in the Good Ear Review, an online journal dedicated to monologue form, and on the Moving Manchester website, Lancaster University project exploring identifications with the city of Manchester. WILTSHIRE was mentored by Charlotte Keatley in writing Joy With Child, which was showcased at Oldham Coliseum (director: Kevin Shaw), at the Re:Play Festival at Manchester Library Theatre (director: Nick Moss) before site specific production by Organised Chaos at a basement venue, Taurus in Manchester (director: Dean Biddell). Joy With Child explores issues of loss, love and reality as well as perceptions of masculinity, and was long-listed (top 20) for the Bruntwood Prize (2008). Characters explore power in relation to gender, withholding information, assumed gender stereotypes and the effects of age. Doyle (1983) argues, ‘More and more men are searching for something they have lost. That something is the very foundation on which the traditional male role was built.’ (1983: 11) Both male characters in Joy With Child are searching for mothers and fathers, their masculinity undermined by the central character, Corrinna, who subverts gender expectations whilst seemingly embracing them. The evidence portfolio contains DVDs of live performance, and copy from online journals and websites, through which findings were disseminated.
    Original languageEnglish
    Media of outputOther
    Publication statusPublished - 2009
    EventThe Loser/Joy With Child - Various locations
    Duration: 1 Jan 200931 Dec 2010

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