Unter dem Titel „Operatic Feminism or: What is Feminist Music Theatre Making?“ untersucht der Vortrag bei Music Research Today 2025, veranstaltet von der School of Music, Theatre and Art an der University Örebro die Möglichkeiten feministischer Musiktheaterproduktion anhand einer in Schweden erarbeiteten Beispielproduktion.
Abstract:
This paper explores the possibilities and challenges of feminist music theatre-making, focusing on the 2025 Norrlandsoperan production of Älskarinnorna, based on Elfriede Jelinek’s novel Women as Lovers, with music by Swedish pop artist Jenny Wilson and direction by Hungarian theatre director Franciska Éry. The production serves as a case study for examining how feminist aesthetics and politics can be embedded in contemporary music theatre, both structurally and artistically. The research was conducted through sociological fieldwork focusing on rehearsal ethnography. Drawing on recent research into gender, performative norms, and artistic agency in opera and music theatre, this study investigates how Älskarinnorna negotiates traditional gendered conventions of performance, especially in the context of opera and music theatre. The analysis considers the collaborative creative process, the integration of Wilson’s pop-inflected, politically charged compositional style-rooted in Sweden’s tradition of feminist musical activism and Éry’s approach to staging, which foregrounds collective agency and norm-critical dramaturgy. The paper situates Älskarinnorna within current debates on music and politics, particularly regarding feminism and intersectionality. It argues that the production exemplifies how feminist music theatre can expand artistic agency for performers, challenge gender representations, and foster new forms of audience engagement. By analyzing Älskarinnorna through the lenses of rehearsal process research, feminist theory, and musicology, this paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the conditions and strategies of feminist music theatre-making.
