“I became a scholar because I love my subject, and because I enjoy research and the solitary work of writing. But it has been a source of great joy for me throughout my career to discover the extent to which friendship motivates so many of our professional activities.”
The Girl on Stage in Early Modern England is the very first study devoted to the history of the girl actor, from the Middle Ages to the English Revolution in 1649. Challenging long-held assumptions about when girls took to the stage, it will demonstrate that girls were active participants in English dramatic culture from its earliest beginnings, revealing girls in speaking parts, as well as performing as dancers, singers, and musicians, in everything from Tudor civic pageants to Stuart court masques.
Dr. Deanne Williams is looking forward to focusing her time and energy towards this specific project during the two year period of her Killam Research Fellowship, and being able to dive deeper into the academic study of the various contributions of girls as cultural participants in the early modern period.
Photo: Brian Carey