Elizabethan Boy Actresses
About this episode
This episode explores why teenage boys played Shakespeare's greatest heroines and how they were trained for the stage.
Why were Shakespeare’s greatest heroines played by teenage boys? How did they learn their craft? On the Elizabethan stage, highly trained young men progressed from minor parts to play some of the Bard's most famous heroines, including Juliet and Cleopatra. Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Roberta Barker to uncover how these cross-dressing apprentices brought some of the Renaissance theatre's most memorable characters to life. MORE Shakespeare's First Playhouse Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Girls on Stage and Page in the Elizabethan Age Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Host: Professor Suzannah Lipscomb
Guest: Professor Roberta Barker
Topics covered
- Elizabethan theatre
- Shakespeare
- cross-dressing
- boy actresses
- Renaissance
- theatrical training
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Not Just the Tudors, History Hit, Epidemic Sounds
Books & works: Shakespeare, Juliet, Cleopatra
More episodes of Not Just the Tudors
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- Anne Boleyn at Hever Castle
- Maria Theresa, Habsburg Empress
- Elizabethans in India
- Lady Jane Grey
- Grace O'Malley, Ireland's Pirate Queen
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