Senyores i Senyors. Dones a escena amb els pantalons ben posats (segles XVI-XX)

For four centuries, actresses have challenged gender conventions by playing male characters. Long before trousers became normal in women's clothing, the stage was already a space where women could dress as men, adopt their gestures and behaviours, and question, through representation, the limits imposed by society. The exhibition SENYORES I SENYORS. Dones a escena amb els pantalons ben posats (segles XVI-XX) offers a journey through this history, from the theatre of the 16th and 17th centuries to variety shows, zarzuela, cabaret and popular culture of the early decades of the 20th century. Through photographs, postcards, magazines, illustrations and other documents from the holdings of the MAE and Drag is Burning, the show recovers figures such as María de Navas, Loreto Prado, Teresita Saavedra, the Conesa sisters and Laura Pinillos, artists who made the representation of masculinity a prominent part of their careers. The exhibition also explores how trousers went beyond the boundaries of the stage to become a symbol of women's mobility, autonomy and emancipation. What for centuries had been a theatrical licence was gradually transformed into a claim to freedom in everyday life. The show invites reflection on the construction of gender roles, the transformative power of the performing arts, and the role of women artists in conquering new spaces of freedom. An exhibition project by: Drag is Burning and MAE – Centre de Documentació i Museu de les Arts Escèniques de l'Institut del Teatre. Original idea, curation, research, texts and exhibition design: Rubén Antón | Drag is Burning. Revision and coordination: Laura Ars and Anna Valls | MAE. Printing: Ivel Color