Anne Marshall and Margaret Hughes, First Women on the English Stage (ep. 16.8)

Her Half of History · Apr 2, 2026 · 22m

Shakespeare wrote every word of his plays with the firm expectation that the female parts would be acted by men or boys. No female was allowed to act in a public theater. That would be shockingly indecent. In England, that expectation was dashed in a 1660 production of Othello. We know for sure that Desdemona was played by a woman. We're just not sure which woman it was. This episode explains how English theater came to accept women on the stage. Visit the ⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠ (herhalfofhistory.com) for sources, transcripts, and pictures. This show survives on the support of listeners like you…