Performing #MeToo: How Not to Look Away

This collection of essays applies a multinational lens to performances that explore the #MeToo movement.

In October 2017, a wave of sexual assault allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein prompted an outpouring of similar stories on Twitter and beyond, all bound by the same hashtag: #MeToo. The phrase, initially coined by activist Tarana Burke in 2006, reverberated across the internet and invigorated a movement. The essays in this volume engage with many of the performative interpretations of and responses to the #MeToo movement and invite reflection, discussion, and action. 

Written by an international group of scholars and artists, the essays bring a global perspective to discussions on topics at the intersection of the #MeToo movement and the performing arts, including celebrity feminism, the practice of protest as a coping mechanism, misogynistic speech, the politics of performance, rehearsing and performing intimacy, and more. Contributors highlight works they have performed, witnessed, or studied, offering analysis and nuance while creating an archive of a powerful cultural moment. 

Judith Rudakoff is professor of theater at York University in Toronto, Canada. She is the editor of numerous books, including Performing Exile, Dramaturging Personal Narratives, and TRANS(per)FORMING Nina Arsenault, all published by Intellect.