Another group that has dealt with similar problems of funding is the Nickel Shakespeare Girls. The NSG is an all-girl troupe that incorporates acrobats, stage combat and clowning in their performance. What sets them apart is the unique style of performance where they approach the audience in a fair or festival, ask them to name any play by Shakespeare, the lines of which are acted out impromptu. In return for their performance they ask for a Nickel or any higher denomination (depending upon the audience) which in turn gave them their name, Nickel Shakespeare Girls. Thus, the main idea being that for a ‘piece’ (money) the audience gets a ‘piece’ (of Shakespeare). The use of costumes is extremely simple in their performance. All girls wear a
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18th century actresses like Sarah Siddons and Elizabeth Powell won many hearts with their portrayal of Hamlet. Within 20th century, there have been several actresses who carried on the tradition of playing Hamlet. Sarah Bernhardt, Asta Nielsen, Frances De la Tour, Ruth Mitchell and Maxine Peake are some of the most well-known actresses who were either cast as Hamlet, the prince or Hamlet, the princess. Therefore, it does not come as a surprise that Cross-gendering on the contemporary theatre and films has evolved over the years. Cross-gendering, like gender (and cross-dressing) has become multi-faceted in terms of experience and awareness for the actor, character and the audience. In that sense performance by Helen Mirren, Lisa Wolpe and Frances de La Tour is derived much out of their own experience of cross-dressing for the stalk roles of Viola and Rosalind to reflect on the instability of identity in cross-gendered roles. While plays by Shakespeare have been thoroughly scrutinised for the role of gender in them, the gendering of the cast production houses also highlights a kind of a denial to the entry of the stage. Gender (and cross-dressing), then become a quicksand, engulfing the projected identity in order to release what is
18th century actresses like Sarah Siddons and Elizabeth Powell won many hearts with their portrayal of Hamlet. Within 20th century, there have been several actresses who carried on the tradition of playing Hamlet. Sarah Bernhardt, Asta Nielsen, Frances De la Tour, Ruth Mitchell and Maxine Peake are some of the most well-known actresses who were either cast as Hamlet, the prince or Hamlet, the princess. Therefore, it does not come as a surprise that Cross-gendering on the contemporary theatre and films has evolved over the years. Cross-gendering, like gender (and cross-dressing) has become multi-faceted in terms of experience and awareness for the actor, character and the audience. In that sense performance by Helen Mirren, Lisa Wolpe and Frances de La Tour is derived much out of their own experience of cross-dressing for the stalk roles of Viola and Rosalind to reflect on the instability of identity in cross-gendered roles. While plays by Shakespeare have been thoroughly scrutinised for the role of gender in them, the gendering of the cast production houses also highlights a kind of a denial to the entry of the stage. Gender (and cross-dressing), then become a quicksand, engulfing the projected identity in order to release what is