‘A mask is not primarily what is represents but what it transforms’ (Levi-Strauss 1982)

Local Gender Performance with Chris Lilley

Summer Heights High

First previewed on ABC, Summer Heights high is a local example of Gender performance by actor Chris Lilley.

 An Australian comedy which is narrated to look like a reality show exposes the sterotypes found within High school's both public and private around Australia.

Lilley acts three characters, Jonah the Tongan bully with learning difficulties, disrupting the class, Mr G a flamboyant attention seeking teacher who tries to make the role of the drama teacher the most important in the school, suffering from insecurities of his acting career that never took off the ground and Jaime, popular school girl who Lilley portrays as a sarcastic sterotype of the feminist characteristics and behaviour of the stuck up school girl.

Lilley plays with each role and draws out the irony of each sterotype to Australian high schools, the dramatic differences between each character played by Lilley exaggerates the characteristics he can create for each character using heavy sarcasm and humor.

His trio role of each character, each so very different, portrays the performance of gender and how it can be acted by gestures, acts and behaviour of the individual to organise the gendered core of their identity.