Behind The Curtain
Many are aware of the plays that have been performed, especially those written by William Shakespeare, and the amazing actors that never fail to entertain their audience. Looking into the theater further, a glimpse behind the scenes was taken to solve the mystery behind the magic of these poular plays.
Unfortunately for England, women are not allowed to perform on the stage. This job is designated to the men and boys who apparently have some talent if they are capable of playing such roles, including women. That being said, it's dire to understand why we as women can't perform in these plays and how the men take up the task of playing our roles. Are they truly doing a good job of representing us or is this just a simple mockery? Delving further into the matter The Dark Lady encounteres William Babula and James L. Hill who provided us with a behind the scenes look into the actors of Shakespeare's plays as well as other writers.
Babula says that there are different actors used for certain parts, as we already know. The one that was particularly interesting is his explanation of the boys who play young women and the men who play adult women. He says, "Having these physically distinct boy actors allow Shakespeare to create the great female romantic comedy roles of Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night's Dream." Hill wants to ensure that the audience understands the difficulties that men and boys have playing female roles, even though most are excellent at what they do. He says that Shakespeare attempts to write his roles to adapt to the male actors. "It is at least plausible that the differing methods used for the presentation of
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