The body as drama: Narrative strategies in the one-woman show.

摘要

This thesis examines the one-woman show in the United States focusing on the female body as the arbiter of truth. Beginning with a study of feminist performance artists from the late 1970s--1980s and exploring the subject matter of women such as Rachel Rosenthal and Holly Hughes, the particular narrative thread of "truth and the body" continues to the recent works of playwright Eve Ensler. Her one-woman play, The Vagina Monologues, explores the discourse of the female body. Playwright Lisa Kron further explores this issue, and her one-woman play 2.5 Minute Ride is dissected as an example of successful theatrical narrative. This thesis compares the narrative strategy, theatrical conceits and social privileging that occur in each woman's work.