Theatre, as an art form, has the potential to amplify the experiences of those that are usually hidden from society’s view, whether that be telling the stories of young queer people living through the Aids pandemic like in Rent, or the untold truths of Henry the Eight’s wives in Six. With the rise of intersectional feminism in recent years, theatre has become a place where actors and writers are able to express their views on politics as well as human rights when it comes to equal representation for women.
One outdated trope in theatre is when the male protagonist is the hero who saves the day, the woman serving as his vulnerable counterpart. As well as this, it was typical for male characters to objectify women through song, and for female characters to have little development in their personality outside of a relationship. A prime example of this is the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific. A product of its time, this musical depersonalised women early on with songs such as “There Is Nothing Like a Dame”. Oklahoma! is another musical written by the same writers with songs such as “I Cain’t Say No”, which poses the question: will women be portrayed as individuals with beautiful minds, hopes and dreams, or do they exist purely as accessories for men?
Both musicals would most likely fail the Bechdel test today.
The Bechdel test is a measure of the representation of women in fiction; it looks at whether there are two women who discuss something other than men. This is vital in ensuring that fiction is able to foster women’s intelligence and creativity, while making any young girl feel like she has the power to make a positive impact in the world. Musicals such as Hamilton, The Colour Purple and Caroline, Or Change undoubtedly achieve this. All three feature strong, independent female characters who narrate their own story, with a dash of girl power. Instead of pitting women against one another, it’s becoming more common for musicals to promote the idea of girls supporting each other. The days of women fighting over male love interests are slowly fading out, especially with a new wave of feminist writers stepping into the spotlight. Waitress, written by Sara Bareilles, is an uplifting story of female empowerment, where the protagonist escapes an abusive relationship and is supported by her two best friends. The Tony award winning musical Hadestown, written and directed by Anaïs Mitchell, blends the mythical stories of Orpheus and Eurydice with Hades and Persephone. Mitchell puts a contemporary twist on two classics, while also tapping into female-led creativity.
Times are definitely changing, or so we hope…
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