Feminist Rehearsals

In Feminist Rehearsals, May Summer Farnsworth explores early feminist theater and theater productions in Argentina and Mexico in the early twentieth century. Examining and exploring the gendered contexts and messages of these productions, Farnsworth discusses the role that performance culture and industry played in the development of the women’s rights movements in Mexico and Argentina. Farnsworth particularly highlights the role that theater and the performing arts played in the publicization and politicization of these women’s rights movements. Farnsworth discusses various gendered concepts, language, and cultural norms in her examination of feminist theater productions, and she also notes the ways in which these feminist theater productions (and the show’s message) challenged standing socio-cultural beliefs about gender. Farnsworth clearly provides an analysis and summary of the various productions, demonstrating her knowledge and familiarity with the subject material, and her ability to understand the cultural implications and criticisms of the shows allows the reader to understand her larger point about these productions and their position within the cultural contexts of Argentina and Mexico. Farnsworth, in Feminist Rehearsals, encourages a further discussion of similar productions across the world in relation to their women’s rights movements and their changes (or lack thereof) in gendered beliefs, behaviors, and ideas.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc. This was definitely a scholarly read, and I was able to learn more from it. I would highly recommend it to everyone, because there are so many important points the author brings up throughout their writing.

What a rich, elevating, but ultimately perfunctory text. Farnsworth raises awareness of the Mexican feminist practices within theatre and performance, where the stage becomes the medium of feminist ideology. These performances "rehearse" on a public stage what could (ideally) happen in the private ones, and thus revolutionize gender in society. Farnsworth takes the good with the bad, not shying away from less-than-perfect (bad) feminism and disagreements. There are tropes particular to the sociocultural landscape that may transcend time and palce, such as "supermadre," the political mother character who must prove her worth as a mother figure in the private and governmental spheres. Farnsworth even translates several plays, which take up a good chunk of the text at the end and in select passages throughout. Some words are beautifully transcribed into English: "think of me and remember all women." I also appreciate the critical and intersectional perspectives. The global mainstreaming of Hollywood is often portrayed (at least in the West) as a positive, but it also reinforced gender binaries and sexist notions about gender roles abroad. I was also introduced to new material, especially La raza cósmica (The Cosmic Race) by José Vasconcelos. This was an exercise in critical thinking for me. Farnsworth presents this material in a positive a light ("racial mixing was a national source of pride") given the text's controversy (the "eugenics of aesthetics" argument, scattered racist commentary, etc.). I also found my eyes glazing over. I kept picking this one up and then moving on. It wasn't invigorating ... it was more like an encyclopedia article in style. Nevertheless, this slice of history deserves the limelight.