Redface - (Performance and American Cultures) by Bethany Hughes

About the Book

"Redface is the first book to consider Native American representation in U.S. theatre, how creating a racialized character severely constrains Indigenous nationhood and sovereignty, and what steps could be taken to address the challenges of representing Indigenous people on the stage"--

Book Synopsis

Winner, 2024 George Freedley Memorial Award, given by the Theatre Library Association
Winner, Labriola National American Indian Data Center 2025 National Book Award
Winner, 2025 Outstanding Book Award (for Scholarly Achievement), given by the Association for Theatre in Higher Education
Finalist, 2025 John W. Frick Book Award, given by the American Theatre and Drama Society

Considers the character of the "Stage Indian" in American theater and its racial and political impact

Redface unearths the history of the theatrical phenomenon of redface in nineteenth- and twentieth-century America. Like blackface, redface was used to racialize Indigenous peoples and nations, and even more crucially, exclude them from full citizenship in the United States. Arguing that redface is more than just the costumes or makeup an actor wears, Bethany Hughes contends that it is a collaborative, curatorial process through which artists and audiences make certain bodies legible as "Indian." By chronicling how performances and definitions of redface rely upon legibility and delineations of race that are culturally constructed and routinely shifting, this book offers an understanding of how redface works to naturalize a very particular version of history and, in doing so, mask its own performativity.

Tracing the "Stage Indian" from its early nineteenth-century roots to its proliferation across theatrical entertainment forms and turn of the twenty-first century attempts to address its racist legacy, Redface uses case studies in law and civic life to understand its offstage impact. Hughes connects extensive scholarship on the "Indian" in American culture to the theatrical history of racial impersonation and critiques of settler colonialism, demonstrating redface's high stakes for Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike. Revealing the persistence of redface and the challenges of fixing it, Redface closes by offering readers an embodied rehearsal of what it would mean to read not for the "Indian" but for Indigenous theater and performance as it has always existed in the US.

Review Quotes

"Redface is a much-needed work that defines a term increasingly used in both academic and popular discourse... [it is] compelling because of its writing style and its combination of fascinating history with personal narrative."-- "Nineteenth Century Theatre and Film"

"The author challenges readers' expectations to exemplify her point. Her construction of the book invites readers to see differently."-- "CHOICE"

"In her compelling debut, Bethany Hughes investigates the history of 'redface' in the US. Thoroughly researched and accessibly written, this volume sheds light on colonial legacies of racial constructions and performativity."-- "Ms. Magazine"

"Redface brilliantly engages the archive, pairing it with theoretical interventions in Indigenous Studies. Bethany Hughes challenges us to move beyond seeing redfacing as mere appropriation or simple racism and instead encourages us to consider it as a dynamic political practice that evolves over time. In this urgent text, she answers how we have come to know when we see an 'Indian.'"-- "Mishuana Goeman, author of Mark My Words: Native Women Mapping Our Nations"

"Defines, clarifies, and critiques the practice of redface as it has sculpted the idea of 'Indian' in the United States' cultural imaginary since the nation's founding. Bethany Hughes deftly argues that theatrical redface - the construction of the Stage Indian - is predicated on the American fantasy of Indian disappearance and therefore denies Indigenous peoples present day agency, nationhood, and sovereignty. Redface illuminates an array of overlooked primary source materials by putting the disciplines of Native American studies, American Studies, and theatre studies into conversation with one another. Perhaps Hughes' greatest intervention is the opportunity she creates for her readers to confront how acceptance of the Stage Indian distorts and obscures the long history of Indigenous theatre and cultural sovereignty in the United States. Hughes' rigorous research and clarion analysis are made more potent through her performative writing, making Redface as enjoyable a read as it is important, as liberating as it is provocative."-- "Courtney Elkin Mohler, author of Critical Companion to Native American and First Nations Theatre"

"Simultaneously broad and painstakingly detailed with regard to how it weaves the nuances of the many studies it builds upon. The depth of Bethany Hughes' research never stifles her vibrant voice, which draws in her readers with clarity, intimacy, analytical rigor, and--at times--delicious, sardonic wit. Redface is a compelling, enjoyable read."-- "Christy Stanlake, author of Native American Drama: A Critical Perspective"

About the Author

Bethany Hughes is Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan in the Department of American Culture and a core faculty member in the Native American Studies Program. Her work can be found in Theatre Journal, Mobilities, Theatre Survey, American Periodicals, and Theatre Topics.