Smith, Andrea (2024) Reversing the tradition of the boy player: female actors playing male children on British radio. Journal of Adaptation in Film & Performance. ISSN 1753-6421 (Submitted)

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Abstract

Four hundred years ago, boy actors played the female characters on the British stage. But when UK radio was established a century ago, it was often the other way around: women played the boys. This continued almost until the turn of the millennium but has been a largely hidden history, with many of the actresses billed in such a way as to not reveal their gender. This article argues that these vocal performances are a specific adaptation technique and particularly focuses on its use in BBC Radio adaptations of Shakespeare plays. By examining contemporary accounts and existing audio recordings, it establishes what these women sounded like and the reaction of critics to their portrayals. It also compares these female performances in boys’ roles with productions where genuine children were used, exploring why producers frequently chose adult women over young boys to play these parts and why the public appears to have accepted their voices in these roles. This unacknowledged tradition of acting has taken place for generations in an organization where cross-gender casting in adult Shakespearean roles is very rare. This article reclaims these roles for the women who played them.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Shakespeare, radio, BBC, audio drama, actors, cross-gender casting
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1990 Broadcasting P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN2000 Dramatic representation. The Theater
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts, Business & Applied Social Science > School of Social Sciences & Humanities
Depositing User:	Andrea Smith
Date Deposited:	08 Jul 2024 09:55
Last Modified:	08 Jul 2024 09:55
URI:	https://oars.uos.ac.uk/id/eprint/3873

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