Paper short abstract:

Based on content analysis and interviews with actresses, directors and fans of the three most popular plays staged by the Takarazuka Revue in which leading female characters tend to be enacted by male role players, this paper argues for the existence of a third, 'transgender' gender role.

Paper long abstract:

What do Oscar Francois de Jarjayes, Scarlett O'Hara and Empress Elisabeth of Austria have in common? All of them are characters commonly played by 'women in drag' in one of Japan's most popular theatres. With over 100 years of history, Takarazuka Revue is a well-known theatrical company where all roles are performed by women. The actresses specialize in portraying one of two gender roles, becoming known as male (otokoyaku) or female role players (musumeyaku). However, since staging of 'The Rose of Versailles' in 1974, many of Takarazuka's most popular plays have included prominent female characters being performed by the otokoyaku. Although recent studies of the Revue explored the construction and appeal of otokoyaku's gender performance, the existence of a common practice in which female roles are enacted by actresses specializing in performing male roles has yet to be addressed. This paper examines the emergence of such 'transgender' roles and discusses the implications of their popularity among fans.

The study was conducted using three research methods. First, focusing on the contexts in which transgender roles emerge, I performed content analysis of three most popular plays staged by the Takarazuka Revue in which such roles are prominently visible, i.e. 'The Rose of Versailles', 'Gone with the Wind', and 'Elisabeth'. Second, focusing on written materials, I analyzed interviews with actresses who performed transgender roles and stage directors of the plays they appeared in. Finally, I conducted interviews with fans of the Takarazuka Revue and analyzed the reception of such roles by the audience.

The paper argues that the existence of a third, 'transgender' gender role is being acknowledged by fans and differentiated from the officially recognized otokoyaku and musumeyaku gender roles. The findings illustrate the complexity and variety of gender roles seen in the Takarazuka Revue, as well as signify the ways in which the roles are constantly developing based on and following the changes observed within the society as well as the current demands of the Revue fans.