An annotated collection of more than 300 unusually interesting and detailed passages includes views by observers from ancient Greece to modern times on acting, directing, make-up, costuming, props, much more.

This book brings together nearly 40 academics and theatre practitioners to chronicle and celebrate the courage, determination and achievements of women on stage across the ages and around the globe. The collection stretches from ancient Greece to present-day Australasia via the United States, Soviet Russia, Europe, India, South Africa and Japan, offering a series of analytical snapshots of women performers, their work and the conditions in which they produced it. Individual chapters provide in-depth consideration of specific moments in time and geography while the volume as a whole and its juxtapositions stimulate consideration of the bigger picture, underlining the challenges women have faced across cultures in establishing themselves as performers and the range of ways in which they gained access to the stage. Organised chronologically, the volume looks not just to the past but the future: it challenges the very notions of ‘history’, ‘stage’ and even the definition of ‘women’ itself.

Excerpt from A Complete History of the Stage, Vol. 5 To prepare my way for this examination, I muff ightly touch again on thofe whofe productions are yet brought no further than 1708, and the firlt left in that imperfect fiate, was steele, whofe private conduct, hating already been noticed pretty much at large as it was involved in the billory of theatrical management, it will be only neceffary to fpeak now of '1 he Con zom Lovers. His laft play that was performed, though there are two Other plays attributed to him. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."

Excerpt from A Complete History of the Stage, Vol. 4 Refinration, many novelties, at leaft of a regular and meritorious kind, could poliibly have been brought out; but, when you fee the titles of plays that bear date all the way from the calling of the long parliament to the abdication of richard Cama well, nothing can be fo abfurd as to believe that they were then produced; for during the troubles, not only the theatres were {hut up but the actors were nobly acting their parts, and that in mofi ho nourahle fituations, by defending their king in the field of battle; in which duty they acquitted them felves with fo much fpirit, courage, and loyalty, that but one malcontent appeared among them, and he, having feceded only from religious motives, took no active part on either tide. His name was Swsusro N. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.