Artist Biography
My name is Matthias Kostecki, an individually designed Performing Arts Major for Theater Production and Performance. I have been performing for sixteen years; nine of those years, I have been performing as a trans individual. In that time, I have struggled with keeping true to my identity and following the guidelines set for me by directors and dance instructors. For my capstone, I decided to research non-conforming actors in the professional world and the performances that include gender non-conformance and drag. The biggest snag I found was people auditioning or being called to audition for a certain role that did aline with their gender identity, but then not being cast in that way. While it is common for women to play men roles and many men play drag roles, such as in Mrs. Doubtfire, this kind of casting that doesn’t take into consideration the individual’s identity doesn’t follow the forward movements theatre is making for inclusivity.
Thesis Abstract
Over the last two semesters I have worked on understanding the deeper struggles non-conforming performers face when it comes to auditioning and performance as a whole. While I have my own experiences to back me up, getting and understanding of how others struggle and overcome obstacles in the professional world help grow my knowledge and awareness. I have learned so much about not only how individuals over come insecurities in performing characters that don’t aline with their identity, but the risk of gender and queer erasure within pieces in order to appeal to larger masses and the growth of a controversial useage of drag on stage. Theatre is a space structured for telling stories that cause an individual to think on their own life and experiences as well as grasp larger picture moments they might not have experience with. That is why, when creating my capstone performance, I wanted to focus on how I might spark conversation and provoke thought on oneself and the individuals they interact with. My capstone performance was created through various stories told to me about individuals struggling with their sense of self, either sex not allinging with their gender identity or a birth home making an individual stand out so much they try to fit in, only to return and understand why that part of theirself is so important. While I focused more on the idea of gender and the typically binary thinking of society, these ideas of feeling outside or left out continue to fuel moments of my piece.