All feminist performance is a political act with serious intentions.
I want to explore the subversive use of comedy by women writers as a form of cultural critique and to try and codify the performance conventions that this entails. In order to differentiate between comedy written by women and feminist comedy it will be necessary to locate the differing feminisms which have evolved and place them in the context of their evolving theatrical forms. The term encompasses the different Feminisms which have evolved, each with their own influences and emphases and each of which has generated theatrical forms and performances. Feminist theatres seek to challenge and transform the ideologies which underpin a patriarchal society and to give women a voice. The name encompasses women of different ages, women of colour and differently abled women, all of whom will have their story to tell of disadvantage, of oppression and of alienation from the norms of a male dominated society.