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EmmaLee Kidwell

Catalina Florescu and Reginald Flowers


21st Century Dramatic Texts and Intercultural Dialogue
5 November, 2017
In Class Activities
For the first in class activity, we will be playing a game Ive titled, Part of The Body.
In this, we will discuss and learn about how gender and gender representation is more than just
genitalia. We will work in small groups, much as we do for many of Reggies activities, and go
in front of the class. We would have two groups, so the groups would be rather large, but still,
everyone would have an opportunity to both work and observe. In the first group, the leader (me)
would say, Create an image that represents the part of you that you feel is most tied to your
femininity or masculinity. I believe that most people would choose to represent a part of them
that is very sexualized in the media, ie. Breasts, genitals, etc. Then, in the second group, I would
say, create an image that shows a part of your body that is tied to your gender expression that is
NOT your genitals or breasts. This would force the students to think outside of what is usually
most sexualized in media and culture. This would show that being feminine is much more than
just having a vagina, and vice versa. We would then open up for discussion about the activity.
The purpose of doing this exercise is very much related to HIR, and gender emancipation
in general. There are many points of view that believe that if you do not have the genitalia
corresponding to the gender that you have chosen, you are not fully transitioned, and therefore,
not recognized. In the play HIR, Max has an enlarged clitoris, but still has a vagina. This is a
rather gray area when it comes to transitional surgeries, and I would like the class to dive into the
idea of whether or not a persons genitalia defines their femininity, masculinity, and gender in
general. It would not only be a discussion that related to the culture around us, as we face many
political debacles regarding bathroom laws and laws of transgender individuals, but it would also
relate closely to the text.
When authors are writing plays, they write many drafts and many scenes are either
rewritten, added, or cut entirely from the larger work. In the second activity, we will look at
exactly why each word is so important in Marie Antoinette. For the second activity, I would like
for the class to work in 15 groups, although we may not have that many students, in which case
the class will work in pairs and do as many scenes as possible. For this activity, the students will
be assigned one scene from Marie Antoinette at random. The partners will read the scene
together, alternating lines, and make sure it is read out loud. Afterwards, the pair will write down
three reasons why this scene was included in the play. These reasons could include how Maries
femininity, character, and actions are portrayed, or it could be related to other things. Students
will be encouraged to refer to the authors notes in the back of the play as well for extra
information.
After the students have written down their three points, they will each take turns speaking
about one of those points. We will go chronologically, and see if there are any through lines or
similarities in why scenes were included in the play. Hopefully, this will not only provide insight
into the authors process, but it will also provide helpful insight into the characters and plot
development. I think that with a text as complex as Marie Antoinette, it can be very helpful just
to read it out loud and see how that helps to shape it.

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