How Did Theater Overcome Gender Norms and Change Women's Roles For the Better?

     In this blog post, I will be discussing why and how societal expectations changed for women in theater. I will go deeper into how this transformation occurred over time with other factors included.

    My purpose for this blog is to bring awareness to the challenges women face within the theatre industry. I intend to inform others on some of the history of this field which isn't often spoken about. This topic interests me because it specifically affects me now and for my future career. Women today in the theater continue to be affected by the effects of traditional roles. It displaces them even when they might have worked just as hard or harder as men to receive those roles. As a feminine presenting person myself pursuing a professional career in theater, I also might face similar struggles.

    As theater in early history withheld many women from participating, different individuals challenged the precedent of this. Its evolution into opening up the space for women is marked by activism and legal changes. The multimodal composition linked below explores the different histories of this oppression onto women in theater. The creators, Diverse In Actor Training, specifically focus on different locations/eras to divide up the histories into its respective parts.

https://youtu.be/xWlt7QjXQ6U?si=J6g5X3irZfkJeavA

    Like I had discussed in previous posts, up until the 1660s, only males were allowed to perform and act. Impactful playwrights like Shakespeare created a few iconic female characters that were portrayed with depth and bravery: Rosalind, Cordelia, and Lady Macbeth. Market Project, a blog analyzing the depth of Shakespeare’s characters, states, “Shakespeare’s portrayal of women was groundbreaking for its time. His female characters are not mere accessories to the male leads; they are fully realized individuals, each with their own desires, fears, and agency. This was a significant departure from the norm in Elizabethan theatre, where women’s roles were often limited and one-dimensional” (Market Project Arts and Books). Although Shakespeare was a white male playwright, his work of humanizing women in theater opened up a conversation of whether women performers were still prohibited from performing these roles. Despite efforts like Shakespeare’s, after 1660, the English Restoration produced a shift in the notion of what women were allowed to perform in. After being exiled in the Netherlands, King Charles II laid claim to power in London. Being inspired by London’s performance practices with women onstage, he wanted to implement this in his ruling. Having women in performance also added another level of realism because of an actual woman playing a woman rather than a man playing a woman. Thus, officially allowing women to perform on public stages through a royal warrant (Smithsonian Magazine). This shift also created a wave of a different collective attitude when it came to women performers. Margaret Hughes is considered one of the first women to act because of her role as Desdemona in Othello in 1660. Seeing women perform in roles that portray women instead of a male actor playing a woman character showed authenticity in theater. We also start to see women playwrights emerge as well. Aphra Behn is an example of an early women playwright in which she produced her first play, The Forc’d Marriage. This piece was controversial in Behn’s expressed disdain for forced marriage (Baltimore Center Stage). Not a lot of women at this time would have even begun to think of diminishing an upheld structure, like marriage, that has been embedded into society for so long. Women contributing with their own attributes to a character that represents at least some of who they are is representative to the audience.

     

Margret Hughes
Google image result for https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/images/first-professional-stage-actress-header.jpg. (n.d.). https://share.google/images/nXgHBwlJpv3UpAjpK

    Women’s contributions and achievements in theater have increased in the following centuries. Jumping ahead to the U.S. in the 19th and 20th centuries, more and more women performed than ever before. Making money by oneself and being financially independent with an occupation in the arts was very new to most women, let alone being financially independent. Charlotte Cushman was an American actress, known for her roles made for women and men. She is most known for performing as Romeo and later Hamlet, which were made for men. She portrayed these characters phenomenally with depth. Both characters are complex in their respective ways in which she captured (Newport Historical Society). This defied the gender norms of the time by showing that women are more than capable of performing any role they are suited for, whether the gender is different from their own. Despite her performances, Cushman was still overlooked because of her being a woman. Gender norms have such an immense impact on women in theater which further affects future audiences of women as well. Women started to take on theatrical jobs outside of performing as well. In 1830, Eliza Vestris was the first woman actor-manager in London, taking over the Olympic Theater and encouraging using “period” costumes and box sets (Baltimore Center Stage). Additionally, viewing new productions with others was an activity some women enjoyed. Being able to perform and viewing shows from the audience opened up a new world of power and possibilities for women. Although women started to receive recognition for being able to perform in theater, this still left no room for other social factors of women: race, class, etc. Women struggled no matter what to try to escape the box gender norms placed onto them. However, through resistance and perseverance in contemporary/modern theater, equality in theater paved its way.

Charlotte Cushman
Google Image Result For. 2025, mountauburn.org/app/uploads/2024/04/Charlotte-Cushman-e1742828750208.jpeg.

    In the 1960s until today, various movements such as feminism created the ignition for feminist theater. This type of theater diminished the male gaze, produced deep, complex female characters, and highlighted women’s experiences. Additionally, various roles and opportunities became available to women onstage and backstage. Women take on many different roles that show off a more varied representation than ever before. Making a stride in the playwriting realm, Susan Glaspell is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and co-founder of Provincetown Players (Society Hill Playhouse). She wrote and produced plays that have challenged gender norms by shedding light on the experiences and perspectives of women. Another example of a playwright in a different era but has changed the notion on oppressed women in theater is Eulalie Spence. Eulalie Spence was an African American woman playwright, a theatre artist who writes the scripts for plays to be performed on stage, and performed during the Harlem Renaissance. Her work and productions showcased strong and complex African American women which reinforced ever changing racial and gender stereotypes. Although her work was recognized to many throughout her career, she received backlash as well. People became highly critical of her work which led to high tensions in the African American theater community (Generally, Spence and her work has contributed to the theater industry tremendously by challenging racial and gender norms. Moreover, many continue to fight for the equality of women in theater as systematic oppression is still embedded into society. The Kilroys publish a list every summer, created by playwrights and producers, who illuminate un-produced plays by female and nonbinary playwrights (Baltimore Center Stage). This aims to dismantle the gender and racial imbalance to create equity between all. In conclusion, gender norms that have been placed onto women have transformed over time because of activism and legal changes. By continuing to spread awareness on the ongoing issue of equality in these types of spaces is to actively use your voice in solidarity.

Eulalie Spence
Google image result for https://www.literaryladiesguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Eulalie-Spence-in-the-1920s-smaller-168x269.jpg

Sources:

Pricien. (2024, April 24). The Pioneering Women of American Theater. Society Hill Playhouse |. https://www.societyhillplayhouse.org/the-pioneering-women-of-american-theater.html#:~:text=in%20the%20arts.-,The%20Rise%20of%20Women’s%20Theater%20Groups%20and%20Organizations,endeavors%20within%20the%20theater%20industry.

California, A. W. M. of, Published by Women’s Museum of California                            View all posts by Women’s Museum of California, Published by Women’s Museum of California, Women’s Museum of California, & View all posts by Women’s Museum of California. (2017, August 31). Get thee to a stage! A brief history of women in the Theater. Women’s Museum of California. https://womensmuseum.wordpress.com/2017/09/06/get-thee-to-a-stage-a-brief-history-of-women-in-the theater/#:~:text=Actresses%20may%20have%20taken%20the,dynamic%2C%20and%20autonomous%20female%20characters.

Blog. Baltimore Center Stage. (n.d.). https://www.centerstage.org/about/blog/timeline-women-in-theater/
Diversities in Actor Training.

“Diversities in gender and sexuality I: Histories of representation of gender in the theatre.” Youtube, 11 September 2015, https://youtu.be/xWlt7QjXQ6U?si=ySyng-cf4gMzdEG3

““Miss Cushman Is a Very Dangerous Young Man”: The Meteoric Rise and Posthumous Erasure of a 19th Century Celebrity - Newport Historical Society.” Newport Historical Society, 24 June 2024, newporthistory.org/history-bytes-charlotte-cushman/.

atlas, Nava. “Eulalie Spence, Playwright of the Harlem Renaissance Era.” Literary Ladies Guide, 7 Aug. 2022, www.literaryladiesguide.com/author-biography/eulalie-spence-playwright-of-the-harlem-renaissance-era/.

Leflore, Patti. “Exploring the Depths of Shakespeare’s Heroines: A Modern Take on Classic Characters.” Market Project, 18 Jan. 2024, www.marketproject.org.uk/shakespeares-female-characters/.

Wizevich, Eli. “A Woman Appeared on the English Stage for the First Time on This Day in 1660, Transforming the World of Theater Forever.” Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Dec. 2024, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-woman-appeared-on-the-english-stage-for-the-first-time-on-this-day-in-1660-transforming-the-world-of-theater-forever-180985557/.