Towards a Female Tradition in the Theatre

Abstract

Is there a distinctive female tone in women’s drama between 1550 and 1800? Or did female playwrights completely internalise the male norms of their eras, and are their works hence indistinguishable from those of men? The question is complicated not only by the diverse and contradictory nature of the material surveyed, but also by fundamental disagreement, even among critics of modern drama, where feminist stances are much more pronounced, as to what, in fact, constitutes women’s theatre. Any drama written by a woman? Or only theatre made and done by feminists? All plays concentrating on the quotidian concerns of women, no matter whether written by women or men? Or only political theatre revealing the dynamics of power and gender, and deconstructing traditional forms of presentation?⁷⁷