Adrienne Truscott is a master of bridging feminism and comedy to perfectly counter the feminist “killjoy” trope. In Masterclass, Truscott explores the arts of gender performance and satire, introducing audiences to the toxic masculinity of the male artist through the lens of an absurdist ‘masterclass’. We often hold space and respect for these so called “masters”, but Truscott is guiding us to look more closely at who we are making so much space for in the industry.

Office Hours: Coming Soon

Get Into It

Get Thee to the LIbrary

Recommended readings to get you in gear for the show.

Adrienne Truscott & Erin Markey, Adrienne Truscott, BOMB 2017

Cynthia Willett & Julie Willett, A Catharsis of Shame: The Belly Laugh and SlutWalk, 2019

Katherine V. Pavlik, Contemporary Feminist Literature: Satire or Polemic?, 1980

Stephen Greer, 4 The killjoy: public unhappiness and theatrical scapegoats, 2019

Read All About It

Feidlim Canon and Adrienne Truscott | May 30, 2024

On Masterclass, and gender & power in the arts world

“I liked Feidlim’s work and I thought this could be a really interesting collaboration. We’d formed this genuine trust, and so we were able to get into some interesting conversations about gender and power in the arts world.”

Brian Logan for The Guardian | August 22, 2022

Masterclass review – the ‘great male artist’ put through the shredder

“Masterclass opens the door for the David Mamets and Ernest Hemingways of yore, with their machismo, their “underdeveloped female characters” and their “casual cruelty” – and ushers them on their way.”

Chris McCormack for The Irish Times | September 13, 2021

Masterclass: A magnificent send-up of the anxieties of the age

“This magnificent send-up of James Lipton’s Inside the Actors Studio is the latest play to feel like a direct response to #MeToo.”

Extra Credit

We’ve picked a book to complement each show in our season. We’ve got novels, short stories, essays, poetry, and memoir. It’s a fun, informal way to find a new favorite book, meet people, and get your brain into gear for the show – even if you haven’t had a chance to read the book yet. This show’s book is titled “Uproarious: How Feminists and Other Subversive Comics Speak Truth”

“A radical new approach to humor, where traditional targets become its agents Humor is often dismissed as cruel ridicule or harmless fun. But what if laughter is a vital force to channel rage against patriarchy, Islamophobia, mass incarceration? To create moments of empathy and dialogue between #Black Lives Matter and the police? These and other such questions are at the heart of this powerful reassessment of humor. Placing theorists in conversation with comedians, Uproarious offers a full-frontal approach to the very foundation of comedy and its profound political impact.”

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