Mia Ludden

Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Dean, Erin

Area of Concentration

Anthropology

Abstract

Often characterized by dramatic singing and intense costumes, opera expands beyond popular culture's misrepresentation. With its history tracing back to early theater and developing as time progressed, opera has a complicated past with women. This thesis attempts to explore women’s roles in opera and issues of representation and power. This research is accompanied by my ethnographic research at the Sarasota Opera. I have spent considerable time observing and interviewing people at the opera in the context of this thesis. The ethnography also fills the gaps where academic research is limited. I examine history’s commentary on women through opera, the representation of women on and off stage, and the power of women gain or lose in opera.

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