Paper Two:

Drag as a Form of Performance Protest

Kathleen Dunne
5/18/2022
Theater History
Introduction

The theater has always been a place for people to challenge societal expectations, to

expose audiences to new ideas, and spark progression. There have certainly been figures in the

theater world who rejected the idea of progression. Those in power, primarily white men in

American and Western European theater, made every effort to suppress the voices of minorities,

women, and the queer community. Anything that challenged their view of normalcy was viewed

with disgust and disapproval. Slowly but surely, the progressive movement has made its way

through the theater world and inspired audiences to break societal standards.

Women in theater have been a crucial part of making progress. Certain restrictions were

imposed on women for a long time, and during certain periods of time, women had to adhere to

rules set by men in order to be onstage, eventually taking back their own control. As societal

expectations for women began shifting, so did expectations for the LGBTQ+ community.

Women played a vital role in encouraging the queer community and the art of drag. As women

were exploring confidence in their sexuality, the queer community was exploring confidence in

the fluidity of gender. Centuries of suppressing the voices of women and queer people sparked

protest through performance.

Gender Roles in Theater

The history of gender roles in theater goes extremely far back so for the purposes of

focusing on the more recent developments, an examination of Restoration Theater is appropriate.

Pre-Restoration Theater, specifically the Elizabethan era, is what most people are familiar with

when it comes to theater history. William Shakespeare’s influence on theater was profound, but

unfortunately, even the strongest of his female characters were played by men (Women’s
Museum of California, 1). Once female actresses began to perform onstage, it took many years

for them to be able to act without scrutiny and harsh judgement. Actresses like Nell Gwyn and

Susanna Mountfort and female playwrights like Aphra Behn were incredibly notable figures in

Restoration theater and built the foundation for females in theater.

Female roles were typically written by men and adhered to the societal standards set for

women. Gender roles were extremely strict at the time, so much so that women did not even

appear on the stage until shortly before the Restoration. One of the most fascinating elements of

theater during the Restoration was the inclusion of breeches roles. This role was played by a

female, and they wore breeches onstage, instead of their expected feminine attire outside of the

theater. This was created as a way to sexualize women onstage, but the incredibly strong and

intelligent actresses of the time took advantage of these roles, exploring fluidity between gender,

and taking up the space of men in the theater. The popularity of the breeches role was apparent,

and actresses decided to take a political stance, protesting the existence of gender stereotypes

through their performance. While the breeches role is not necessarily an inherent form of drag, it

certainly resembles the concept of drag and the fluidity of gender through performance and

costuming.

Vaudeville and minstrel shows were the first spaces that American theater emerged from.

Unsurprisingly, the space for women was limited and not free from scrutiny from audiences and

critics. Professor Lillian Schlissel describes, “Women who chose work on the vaudeville stage

played the wanton, even as critics derided their performances, claiming she who played the

harlot became the harlot…the words a woman chooses to speak establish her innocence – or the

lack of it” (Schlissel, 72). This type of judgement was not put on male actors. For example, a

male who played a villain in a play would not have been accused of being a villain in real life,
but rather, he would be celebrated for his profound acting skills and ability to transform into an

entirely different person onstage. On the other hand, a woman’s character and values were

determined by her choices onstage and who she agreed to embody.

Mae West’s Impact

There are plenty of women in theater history who have sparked controversy and

eventually change. Perhaps the most prominent female figure is Mae West. Not only did she

empower female performers, but she also was a huge advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.

She is best known for writing her own material, creating female characters from the perspective

of a woman, and her wittiness, which allowed her to express her confidence in her sexuality and

as a powerful, independent woman. In terms of protest against societal norms, “Speech was her

weapon of choice” (Schlissel, 72). She was a strong woman and her popularity lasted for

decades after she decided to leave Hollywood.

Mae West has had ties to the gay community from the beginning of her acting career.

Lillian Schlissel explains, “She watched Bert Lahr, a star of burlesque, as he lisped his way

through ‘gay’ roles. She listened to his timing and his jokes…If you could make an audience

laugh, you could get away with almost anything” (Schlissel, 73). Anybody who has seen Mae

West’s works can assert that this is true. The content she discussed was often incredibly sexual,

but her delivery was what made it work. There was certainly backlash, as her shows were often

scrutinized, cancelled, and censored. But the audiences who enjoyed it, truly enjoyed it. Her

performing certainly inspired the gay community and drag world, and many elements of drag

shows today can be traced back to Mae West’s performing style. Drag queens often use sex as a

main focus of performance, and through comedy, audiences feel drawn to the extravagance and

hilarious nature of drag shows.

 Mae West’s Sex (1926) was incredibly controversial, and powerful people in the industry

attempted to censor her. She often broke rules through sexual jokes, confidence in her own

body, and even crossed societal boundaries racially, as she sang “Black” songs, essentially

protesting the rules set for women, specifically white women of the early 1900s. Through her

production of The Drag (1927), Mae West provided opportunities for gay men to have speaking

roles on the stage, which was prohibited through Actor’s Equity, and created a show that

showcased men in their most fabulous drag (Schlissel, 77). Her actions essentially protested the

rules of Actor’s Equity and these drag performers spoke out against the gender roles and rules of

sexuality in the 1920s. She knew the scrutiny she would receive and did it anyway.

The Drag was not the first show to allow homosexuals to have a space in the theater, but

it was certainly one of the most unapologetic productions of its time. Marybeth Hamilton

highlights, “West’s characters brought spectators in contact with a large and colorful in-group

vocabulary organized around gender reversal and rife with specific sexual undertones”

(Hamilton, 94). Mae West did a brilliant job of manipulating theater’s rules into something that

worked for her and the queer community. Specifically, “West created Sex and The Drag by

drawing directly on the rawest elements of the working-class culture: its ‘men-only’ theatre, its

underworld streetlife, its class resentments, and its sexual styles” (Hamilton, 98). Mae West saw

a history of men playing female roles and decided to produce it in her own way. It is ironic that

an industry that used to exclusively put men in women’s roles was all of a sudden disapproving

of men in drag. Now that it had homosexual connotations, it was no longer acceptable. Mae

West and the drag community gave the industry a taste of its own medicine as a form of protest.
Drag as Protest

As drag performers began taking space in the theater world, they rejected the typical

place of actors and actresses. Ariel Nereson states, “In addition to the visual signs of drag, the

gestural vocabulary of camping and the language of gay slang added elements of exclusivity,

inviting queer spectators to the party while leaving out others, ‘to whom the whole theme was a

puzzle’” (Nereson, 524). In an industry where the LGBTQ+ community was once excluded;

they have now flipped the script in order to create their own exclusive and special world in the

entertainment industry.

Even years after drag had been established as an artform and subgenre of theater, drag

queens have used their platform and strong characters to protest in a more obvious fashion.

During the gay rights movement, drag queens began taking charge of protests and speaking up

for their community. Journalist Dylan Rae explains, “At the centre of the revolution was drag

queen and activist, Marsha P. Johnson. She was a key player during Stonewall and LGBTQ+

rights in general” (Rae, 1). Not only was Marsha P. Johnson a drag queen, but she was a Black

drag queen, and the power she possessed while being part of the most marginalized population

was astonishing. She used her drag as a weapon for protest and she set the example for drag

queens of generations to come. Even now, drag queens are some of the most important figures at

annual Pride parades and festivals.

Conclusion

Drag is a captivating form of theater and its origins are centered around challenging

gender roles, acceptable sexual orientation, and societal standards in general. With the help of

popular yet controversial female figures in the theater world, drag was able to slowly make its
way into popularity and became a staple for the LGBTQ+ community. These shows are filled

with gender fluidity, confidence in sexuality, and comedy, often inspired by the performance

tactics of early gay actors and Mae West. Mae West was a pioneer of performance protest, using

her confidence, comedy, and clever writing to break all the barriers she faced as a woman in

theater and Hollywood. Drag stars have followed in those footsteps and paved a way for

themselves in the entertainment space. Drag has always been and continues to be about breaking

the rules of sexuality and gender.

 Works Cited

Hamilton, Marybeth. “Mae West Live: ‘SEX, The Drag, and 1920s Broadway.’” TDR : Drama

Review, vol. 36, no. 4, MIT Press, 1992, pp. 82–100, https://doi.org/10.2307/1146217.

Nereson, Ariel. “Queens ‘Campin’’ Onstage: Performing Queerness in Mae West’s ‘Gay

Plays.’” Theatre Journal (Washington, D.C.), vol. 64, no. 4, Johns Hopkins University

Press, 2012, pp. 513–32.

Rae, Dylan. “Sissy That Protest: The Political Power of Drag.” The Swamp, 2018,

https://vocal.media/theSwamp/sissy-that-protest-the-political-power-of-drag.

Schlissel. (2002). Mae west and the “queer plays.” Women’s History Review, 11(1), 71–88.

https://doi.org/10.1080/09612020200200311

Women's Museum of California. “Get Thee to a Stage! A Brief History of Women in the

Theater.” Women's Museum of California, 31 Aug. 2017,

https://womensmuseum.wordpress.com/2017/09/06/get-thee-to-a-stage-a-brief-history-

of-women-in-the-theater/.