Gender and Performance Culture of Male Impersonators in the Taiwanese Opera

• Main Authors: Chiung-Fang Hung, 洪瓊芳
• Other Authors: Kuo-chun Lee
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/00946500579314421225

博士 === 國立中央大學 === 中國文學研究所 === 98 === A great deal of results of Taiwanese Opera nowadays came pouring in. However, in the area of the relationship between gender and performance , a complete study is difficult to be made due to the difficulty of acquiring the honest confession of these performers about their gender identity. In this study, the researcher makes a new innovation in the present researches. To qualify for the trust of the interviewee, the author contributed to the stage crews for many years. In view of the deep friendliness, people can count on the author for a truthful report of the Gender Crossing experiences. According to these authentic examples, the researcher concentrates the attention on the relationship between gender and performance of these male impersonators and to build a. Aesthetic theory of them. This study starts with a personal case of a male impersonator of Taiwanese Opera, discussing the Gender Crossing phenomenon in her own life. Base on this, this article discusses the Gender Crossing phenomena of Taiwanese Opera performers, and concludes some typical kinds and sources of these phenomena. In such intricate patterns of these circumstances, this essay focuses on those related with Performing Arts. Many researches indicated that the important part of the Performance Aesthetics of male impersonators of Taiwanese Opera was gender identity. They have the vague idea what their internal self-awareness of being either male or female. In other words, the reality and performance confused them by their conflicting roles. In this study, the researcher makes a further and unique opinion, and indicates that the Performance Aesthetics of male impersonators of Taiwanese Opera is also a kind of Homoerotic Aesthetics. This conclusion is based on a hypothetical opinion that everyone has a tendency towards two genders. So that’s why a lot of female fans are so crazy to these male impersonators. Because of these performances, these male impersonators have access to creating a brand-new gender. After a whole lifetime of Gender Crossing performing, these performers comprehend that gender itself is a kind of performance. So they have more tolerance of different opinions of sex and gender than the community.