Rose Blossom Speaks

Abstract

This autoethnographic essay explores the representation of one of the heroines in the old-fashioned western melodrama Deadwood Dick. Through an examination of the author’s experience performing the role of one of the heroines in a local community theatre production, this essay reflects on the way heroines are portrayed in western melodramas. It is observed that the audience plays a major role in the interpretation of the performance, thus allowing for the western melodrama to evolve and adapt to the twenty-first century.