Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects
Department
Theatre and Dance
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
As a male actor of female Dan characters, Mei Lanfang (1894-1961) is known throughout the world as the most representative performer of Chinese opera – particularly for his performance of Concubine Yu in the Peking opera Farewell My Concubine. A feminist analysis of his work in this opera reveals a series of assumptions about the definition of “Woman” in both theatre and life. This project is solo performance piece formatted in a series of open letters to Mei Lanfang, interspersed with personal stories investigating what it truly means to be a Woman – as an actor, a Christian, a feminist, a traveler, and a human being – in this increasingly globalized world.
Advisor(s) or Committee Chair
Dr. Michelle Dvoskin
Disciplines
Chinese Studies | Christianity | Creative Writing | Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Performance Studies
Recommended Citation
Norman, Alexandra Dare, "Letters to Mei Lanfang" (2017). Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects. Paper 675.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses/675
Included in
Chinese Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, Creative Writing Commons, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Performance Studies Commons