‘Fighting the Power Never Tasted So Sweet’: Hot Brown Honey and Concluding Remarks

Abstract

This chapter brings together the key themes of the book and employs the Australian burlesque performance Hot Brown Honey to frame the concluding remarks. Hot Brown Honey combines its critique of sexism and gender stereotypes with an interrogation of the effects of racism, colonialism and the fetishisation of women of colour, highlighting the significance of discourses on race to contemporary feminist and queer performance. The chapter returns to the central concepts of the book, including the resurgence of feminist politics in contemporary independent Australian performance, the queering of normative culture, focus on affect in performance, and the emphasis on gender performativity. It also raises challenges facing independent theatre in Australia, particularly as a result of recent funding cuts to the arts.