Seven Plays by William Shakespeare with Transgender Characters: plus Hamlet - Softcover

A reader's edition, modernized language ("you" for "thee," etc.) and glossary for unfamiliar words. The plays in this book include some of the most popular that Shakespeare ever wrote: As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Twelfth Night, Cymbeline, and Hamlet. Seven of these plays by Shakespeare all feature crossdressed or transgender characters, both women in men's clothing and men in women's dress. Only one, featuring Falstaff, could be construed as a comic device. The Elizabethan sensibility did not include the modern conception of "transgenderism," indeed at that time, all roles on stage were played by men and boys. So, one might claim that all of Shakespeare's plays were transgender. These seven, however, have explicit crossdressing, sometimes through most of the play. Hamlet is added to this collection, although Shakespeare did not write a transgender character into the play. Nevertheless, Hamlet is included with these others to honor the two dozen or more actresses who have played the title role on stage, from Sarah Siddons to Sarah Bernhardt. Several of these plays also have a Director's Playbook edition, which uses the same text with greatly expanded sections for every part of every scene, plus sections for auditioning, the Stage Manager, coordinating the director's vision with the Set Designer and the Costumer, plus the responsibilities of the Producer for the budget, tips on creating a playbill program, fundraising, advertising, parents (if a high school or college production), and much more behind-the-scenes activities that must take place before actors set foot on stage. Those Playbooks are available for Hamlet (www.createspace.com/3742231), The Merchant of Venice ((www.createspace.com/3862570), Taming of the Shrew (www.createspace.com/3938142), Twelfth Night (www.createspace.com/3894336), and As You Like It (www.createspace.com/3940714).