Splinters: Cross-Dressing Ex-Servicemen on the Interwar Stage

Area of Science:

• Social History
• Performance Studies
• Gender Studies

Background:

• Wartime concert parties featured servicemen cross-dressing for entertainment.
• Limited research exists on ex-servicemen's public cross-dressing revues post-WWI.

Purpose of the Study:

• Examine the popularity of cross-dressing revues by ex-servicemen in interwar Britain.
• Analyze the impact of public performance on these artists amidst cultural anxieties.
• Investigate the role of state censorship and critical reception.

Main Methods:

• Historical analysis of theatrical shows and public reception.
• Case study of the First World War troupe Les Rouges et Noirs and their production 'Splinters' (1918).
• Examination of press criticism and state censorship records.

Main Results:

• Ex-servicemen's cross-dressing revues achieved significant critical and commercial success.
• Performers were lauded for entertainment value and skillful feminine mimicry.
• Despite some official concerns, public acceptance and artistic merit largely overshadowed anxieties.

Conclusions:

• Performative cross-dressing by ex-servicemen offered a source of pleasure and entertainment.
• The artists' status as veterans helped mitigate societal suspicions of immorality.
• The study highlights the complex negotiation of gender variance within popular culture and performance.