But what has Footlights ever done for us? Gender, comedy and the politics of privilege

Abstract

Abstract In recent years, institutions such as Cambridge University, and Cambridge societies such as Footlights, have been under scrutiny for their perceived elitism. This article nevertheless makes the case that such views overlook the place of gender within these contexts, and above all, the history of gender discrimination and the struggle for representation on the part of women within such institutions. Looking primarily at Footlights, and two of its most prominent early female members (Eleanor Bron and Emma Thompson), and focusing on some of their early work on screen, this article argues that we consider the exceptional nature of female performers emerging from the society. The article argues, in turn, that we take into account the distinctive, critical type of work on the part of these performers, in terms of its comedic and reflextive approach to female representation; arguing also that we link such work to the authorial opportunities, but also competitive contexts, of Cambridge University comedy during these times.