PERFORMING GENDER

theoretical performance
Performing Gender

April meetings, Student Cultural Centre, Belgrade, 2002

Performance is realized though 50 minutes of simultaneous performing of theoretical-practical events of constructing and deconstructing of ideological apparatuses of gender.

We have set as an initial, general problem, the problem of the Theoretician’s Body. Then, for this particular performance, we have treated the issue of Theoretician’s Body as the problem of his/her gender identity. This initial setting binds various smaller performances of this piece in a unique theoretical performance. Theoretician’s Body is in this way dealt with through different forms of theoretical, pro-theoretical and para-theoretical discourse (theoretical practice or theory-based practice) executed on the stage: verbal performance, video, body event and simulation of theoretical dialog.

Therefore, Performing Gender doesn’t offer a story of gender problems, not even gender identities of Theoretician or Theory, but is based on simultaneous and arbitrarily connected/confronted different approaches (showing, representing, instructing, performing) to the theoretical problem taken as a source for conception and execution of the performance.