Masculinity after #MeToo in Mainstream Theatre

Abstract

This article argues that the main effect of revelations of sexual harassment prompted by the #MeToo movement, the resulting changes in workplace policy, and heightened sensitivities around gender representation on stage has been to reconfigure the assemblage of mainstream theatre. The analysis is pursued across three distinct case studies from Australia: watching a production of Arthur Miller‘s canonical mid-century play A View from the Bridge; rehearsing Sarah Kane‘s notoriously violent Blasted; and reading the publicly available documents relating to a defamation case successfully brought by Australian actor Geoffrey Rush over tabloid allegations of sexual misconduct during a production of Shakespeare‘s King Lear. The article demonstrates that new connections between different aspects of the theatrical process and its place in the wider society have come to prominence, and are influencing working practices, creative processes and public attitudes.