Disguise of gender in acting theories (18th century)

The first acting theories were set down in writing in the mid eighteenth century, when the theatre was becoming more institutionalised and `moralised`. This research will try to elucidate how this new acting theory discourse, which was mainly being conducted in theatre journals, affected or contradicted the new concept of gender that was evolving in this period. The goal of this postdoctoral thesis is to provide an in-depth analysis of eighteenth and early nineteenth century theoretical texts about acting which have not been accounted for until now. The research will be based on interdisciplinary gender studies. Relevant texts from German theatre periodicals of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century will be sifted and documented, thus leading to a widened canon as well as a new interpretation of the acting theory discourse. Discussing acting always implies speaking about the `body` and its capacity of expression, its authenticity and identity. As soon as written instructions turn acting into something that can be produced and learned, the concept of the actor, as an artificial character who is able to generate an authentic physical representation becomes problematic. Acting theories raise the question of the representability of the authentic right from the start, thus also jeopardising any discussion about the nature or naturalness of the sexes. The method of this postdoctoral thesis is based on radical constructivism as developed by Ernst von Glasersfeld and Heinz von Foerster, as well as on critical gender studies. Interconnections between discourses that are traditionally examined separately will be traced. To what extent did aesthetic, philosophical, anthropological, medical, theological, legal, historic, psychological discourses influence the acting theories and the `disguise of gender` within these theories? In order to explore the mechanisms of canonisation, marginalisation and mythologisation, I will relate the texts about acting theory to contemporary autobiographical texts by actors and actresses to early literature on theatre history. Being applied in a wide context of cultural studies, my chosen methods enable research on the mutual influence of theory and the formation of a social and cultural `reality`.