Back when boys, played girls, pretending to be boys

There perhaps isn’t a more British way, to say - gender is a construct - than with Shakespeare is there? So put aside your stack of sonnets, go stick on the kettle, brew a cuppa, and let Shevek Imogen Fodor tell you about the gender foolery that took place in Shakespearean England and ignited and already ember burning flame of gender diversity on stage in the UK's most hallowed theatre institutions. If we acknowledge that gender was performed, messed with and expanded on stage then we can find a glimpse of positive non-binary, genderqueer, genderfluid ways of existing in the past. That's what we'll explore in another episode with Trans+ History Week of the QueerAF podcast. Episode Credits: Produced by Shevek Imogen Fodor . Opening monologue performed by Aryn Jae (they/them) . Executive production and mastering by Jamie Wareham . A QueerAF Production. Made with support from Publicis Groupe UK. From Shevek: "Additional thanks to: Dr Will Tosh (he/him) ; Emma (they/them) ; Sarah Li (she/they) ; Stan Doubt (he/him) ; Vick the Prick (say what you see) ; Veggie Stripper (he/they) ; Mack (they/he) ; and Darkwah (they/them) .Thanks to all of the lovely members of the DGA Collective who helped me feel so at home rediscovering drag performance in the North East, sharing all of their experiences of queer discovery and self-acceptance to inspire my thinking for this project. Find out more about Edward's Boys here . Find out more about the history of male impersonation and principal boys with the virtual exhibition of Opening the Closet Doors , the project Sarah did with the Darlington Hippodrome. All of my knowledge and fascination with Shakespeare is a direct result of my parents - I'm indebted to them and to my queer extended found family for encouraging, supporting and inspiring me always (and especially while making this)." Music: “Enlightened”; “Pondering”; “It Doesn’t Have to End”; “Timeless Master” - Medieval Lofi - licensed under a CCSA4.0 . Vintage Piano - Piano_Music (Pixabay) Sign up as a QueerAF member to listen along ad-free and support our not-for-profit work, investing in a new generation of queer audio professionals: If you like our podcast, you'll love our free weekly newsletter that thousands of readers use to understand the LGBTQIA+ 🏳️‍🌈 headlines, learn new perspectives and stay on top of the latest queer content. Try it now: Make sure to sign up for updates about Trans+ History Week, a QueerAF launchpad project: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Back when boys, played girls, pretending to be boys is an episode from #QueerAF | by national student pride by QueerAF CIC.

This episode is 29:11 long.

This episode was published on Jun 9, 2025.

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