The Virginia Wesleyan College theatre completed their production of “She Stoops to Conquer” by Oliver Goldsmith on March 12 after a five show run.
Directed by Dr. Sally Shedd, this special run of the beloved 18th century play was given the special title “S/he Stoops to Conquer” by the Virginia Wesleyan College theatre department. This production was casted based off of Judith Butler’s theory of gender and performance, which states that gender is something that is not innate within people but rather something people choose to perform. In the play, the actors received the opportunity to literally perform different genders such as Jamel Showell and Jakob Steward playing women and Sarah Puchalla, Isis Percell and Emily Vial playing men.
This production gave everyone the chance to explore what aspects create the idea of gender while still creating an enjoyable and humorous atmosphere during each performance.
Future performances for the theatre include “California Suite” on March 31 and April 1, and “Constellations” on April 20 and 21.
Julie Ainsley
jmainsley@vwc.edu