A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF GENDER BENDING IN THE UNIVERSITY OF BENIN THEATRE PRODUCTIONS

This project explores gender bending in the theatre as both a creative expression and a way to question social ideas about gender and identity. It examines how actors take on roles of the opposite gender to expand the boundaries of performance. With the Use of interviews with student actors who gender bent roles in plays such as ‘The Lion King’, ‘Things Fall Apart’, and ‘What’s Wrong with Janet Peterson’, the study looks at their experiences, preparation, and audience responses. This link shows that gender bending is not entirely new but continues a long history of flexibility and not entirely recognized as gender bending in African performance culture. Guided by Judith Butler’s idea of gender bending being a continues performance, the study concludes that gender bending in theatre encourages creativity, challenges stereotypes, and helps audiences see gender as something fluid and expressive rather than fixed.