Queer Women and Non-Binary Artists Resisting an Emptied Stage
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Placefull Spaces: Queer Women and Non-Binary Artists Resisting an Emptied Stage by Laine Yale Zisman Newman A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies (collaborative program) Women & Gender Studies Institute (collaborative program) University of Toronto © Copyright by Laine Zisman Newman 2018 Placefull Spaces: Queer Women and Non-Binary Artists Resisting an Emptied Stage Laine Zisman Newman Doctor pf Philosophy Centre for Drama, Theatre, & Performance Studies University of Toronto 2018 Abstract For marginalized queer artists, inequitable distribution of and access to performance space impact both the development process and production of artistic works. While a lack of ongoing or resident performance space for women’s productions in Canada has been documented (see, for example, Rina Fraticelli; Rebecca Burton; and Michelle MacArthur), less research has been conducted on queer women’s and non-binary artists’ experience of space in the industry. Theatre and performance scholars (see, for example, Gay McAuley, Una Chaudhuri, Jill Dolan, and Laura Levin) have provided the groundwork for exploring the relationship among theatre sites, identities, and productions; and queer geographers such as Natalie Oswin, Julie Podmore, Catherine Nash, and Kath Browne have developed invaluable theories and methodologies to unsettle the assumed neutrality of space. However, few scholars have brought these fields together, particularly in the context of performance in Canada. This doctoral project applies queer and feminist theories of geography to queer women’s and non-binary artists’ performance to explore how insecure and inequitable access to physical space affects both experiences of finding one’s place in the theatre industry and articulations of an imagined place on stage. ii The germinal Western conceptions of the stage as placeless or “empty” (Brook) work to neutralize the theatre space by assuming all creators, performers, and audience members are easily oriented within it. For marginalized bodies, which are simultaneously hyper-visualized and unseen in dominant cultural spaces, the necessary conditions to access placelessness may be unobtainable, or may be experienced as a form of violent erasure of histories. Through a process of “unmapping” venues and close description and analysis of performances, this doctoral study questions how an intentional engagement with space and place on stage can actively destabilize the presumed universality and neutrality of performance space and combat broader gendered spatial inequities. Focusing on performances and events in Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia, this project develops a theory of “placefullness” as a means of understanding how artists actively resist spatial inequities in the theatre and performance industry in Canada. iii Acknowledgements With incredible gratitude, I thank my supervisor Tara Goldstein and my committee members Nikki Cesare Schotzko and VK Preston. Your involvement and critical insight have been the truest forms of inspiration. I am indebted to your commitment to this work and the time and energy you have devoted to ensuring my academic and professional advancement. You have led me through this process with exceptional guidance and your unwavering encouragement and reinforcement have been essential to my success. Thank you for the incredibly detailed feedback you offered throughout this process. A special thank you to Professor Sarah Schulman for her in depth insights in reviewing and responding to this dissertation as an external committee member and to TL Cowan for her feedback, questions, and guidance throughout the defence. The team that assembled to support this thesis has been a gift. Tamara Trojanowska and Stephen Johnson, it was a privilege to attend the Centre under your direction. Thank you both for helping me navigate the Centre and all of its programming. And to the staff at the Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies, your support has made this project possible. Samiha Chowdhury and Rebecca Biason, thank you both for all of your knowledge and extraordinary patience. The amount of time you spent responding to my inquiries truly made it possible for me to complete this degree. To the faculty and staff at Sexual Diversity Studies, Brenda Cossman, Scott Rayter, Rebecca Thorpe, and Alex Wells, you have provided me with the tools, encouragement and support to not only complete this dissertation, but also contribute to the university and wider LGBT community. Thank you for believing in me and the work I am committed to. It has been such a pleasure to be a part of this community. I would not have been able to complete this project without the support of the Jackman Humanities Institute. As a junior fellow, JHI has provided me with funds and opportunities to push this project to its fullest potential. I would also like to acknowledge the generous support from the Mellon Foundations Graduate Fellowship through the JHI’s interdisciplinary initiative, The South-North Project, which provided me with a unique opportunity to expand my research to include analysis of equity practices in South African theatre. To each of the performers, creators, and artists I interviewed and observed, thank you for your time and for the beautiful way you create change in this world. I learn from your drive and your iv awe-inspiring creativity. Thank you for giving me the privilege to explore queer women’s performance through your practices and insights. Mom, thank you for supporting me and teaching me always to “ask a good question” and not to “sweat the small stuff.” Through all that you have encountered and overcome, you have shown me what strength and survival look like. I love you and am so proud to learn from your achievements and resiliency. Bailey, I cannot begin to thank you for being such a courageous and intelligent role model. I could not have written any of these words without you. You’re the truest example of selflessness, critical intelligence, and compassion. Thank you for teaching me what it means to be a good human being. And to my step-dad David, your investment in my success and your involvement in this process have been invaluable. I love you and am so grateful that you are part of our family. Nana, I continue to learn from your 99 years of wisdom and experience. You inspire me through your character, your commitment to your family, and your honesty. Talking to you every day about my progress never fails to make me feel excited about this work. Wednesday nights have been the highlight of my week for the last 20 years. Knowing that you are proud of me makes me feel motivated to work hard and learn more each day. To many many more Wednesdays together. My academic endeavors and successes thus far have only been possible because of the guidance and support from my honorary mother. Rhonda Hammer, thank you for instilling in me the desire to pursue this academic journey. From as early as I can remember you taught me to unashamedly live a feminist existence and resist patriarchal norms, a battle that has become essential to my research. And to Doug Kellner, thank you for your input and feedback on this work. I am so thankful to you both for always encouraging me to think critically. To my entire support network of colleagues and friends, thank you for helping me get through the last two years. And with a special expression of my truest gratitude to Jessica Rosenberg: May our friendship only continue to blossom through mutual love and presence. I am lucky to have a friend who I know will always be by my side. While doing a PhD can be an isolating, solitary task, the support and guidance from all of the feminist killjoys in my life has been empowering. Your love and energy is magic. Thank you. v Dedication To my ancestors and elders for instilling within me the power to resist and fight דוד בן ישראל ז"ל חיה בת בנימין וואלף ז"ל הינדא בת בנימין וואלף ז"ל הי"ד בריינדל בת בנימין וואלף ז"ל הי"ד ליפא בן בנימין וואלף ז"ל הי"ד נחמה בת בנימין וואלף ז"ל הי"ד May their memory be a blessing vi Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. iv Dedication ........................................................................................................................... vi In Place of a Preface .............................................................................................................. xi Chapter 1 .............................................................................................................................. 1 Unmapping Queer Performance ............................................................................................ 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1 Rationale and Context ................................................................................................................... 7 Absent, Invisible, Essentialized: Evaluating a Gap in Scholarly Research ......................................... 7 Methodology: Scavenging Narratives, Unmapping Space ............................................................. 10 Mapping Physical