Witches, Bitches and the Scene (Female villainy - stage strategies to perform gender and morality)

Assumed role patterns and gender constructions determine how immoral characters are presented in (youth) theatre. Within patriarchal structures, “female” evil is not acknowledged as full moral agency but is constructed as deviation within the moral order. The research project Witches, Bitches and the Scene therefore approaches the female villain as a conscious artistic strategy to explore the gender-related construction of morality, including through feminist translation and co-creation. Female “villainy” is understood as a performative and relational position at the intersection of gender socialisation, cultural criticism and moral development. 2 Two groups of young participants (aged 14–18) engage as co-creators and co-researchers in the project, which draws on feminist theory as a critical framework alongside relevant literature in both fiction and non-fiction. Methodologically, the project is grounded in practice-as-research, integrating creative processes with young people and the co-creation of a professional performance ensemble. Through audiovisual recordings, participatory observation, artistic creation, an expertinterview and group discussions, the research seeks to generate performative insights into the central research question: How can the embodied portrayal of female villain characters in youth theatre challenge and reformulate normative binary gender constructions? 3 The research results will be shared and further explored with drama students through a workshop or research class, as well as with students of the Educational Master in Music and Performing Arts and students of Theatre and Film Studies at the University of Antwerp. As outputs, the project aims, alongside the showings and the performance, to produce two articles and an interactive exhibition for theatre makers, teaching artists, performers, and other peers.