Northeastern University compels all students to complete a capstone project and accompanying research paper before their graduation. Because I knew the project would have to inhabit part of my brain every day for months, I decided to write about something I loved: drag. And because it had come up in another class and gotten me thinking, I wondered: What would it be like if the actor playing Medea was a man in a dress, as prescribed by the gendered exclusion of women from the theatre?
What if Medea is a drag queen?
I fell headfirst into this question for an entire semester. Along the research and writing process, I rediscovered my love of writing for an academic audience, lost since high school, and discovered a newfound appreciation for the research process.
I also flexed my creative muscles, designing concepts for costumes and sets for the production as part of my research process. The creativity, writing, research, and theory new and old all folded into one another beautifully, and each part helped me better understand the whole. I credit both the exercise of the project and the wisdom of my instructor for the positive impact this essay has had on my education.
I would be humbled if anyone with an interest in the subject of my paper read it, and even more so if anyone with their own thoughts would like to contact me to share them.
