Intimidation or Emasculation? A Critical Analysis of the Representation of Masculinity in American Theatre

“Intimidation or Emasculation? A Critical Analysis of the Representation of Masculinity in American Theatre” serves as an exploration of how masculinity is performed in American theatre and music. Using the research on gender and gender performance from scholars such as Judith Butler, Jill Dolan, and R. W. Connell, this thesis examines how gender is performed in 20th and 21st century works of American theatre and music. The written work of “Intimidation or Emasculation?” is accompanied by two performance pieces, an acting recital and a voice recital. The acting recital consisted of scenes from Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Long Day’s Journey into Night, and A Streetcar Named Desire with the voice recital containing works of musical theatre, art song, and opera. The textual and musical analysis present in this thesis critically examines the behaviors and values of the masculine characters onstage in these two recitals. Through theoretical and textual analysis of the works examined in this thesis there are clear and present themes of hegemonic masculinity and hypermasculinity in America drama and music