Two new exhibitions about cross-dressing in theatre and how props are made are to be unveiled at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Stratford headquarters.
Who Wears the Trousers? has been inspired by a production of Dekker and Middleton's The Roaring Girl which will play in the Swan Theatre.
A small group of women illustrators, Girls Who Draw, will explore the notion of cross-dressing in theatre.
Lisa Meyer, guest curator from Capsule which produces live events and exhibitions in Birmingham, said, “Throughout history and in almost every culture, disguising one's gender has been a common plotline in folklore, literature and theatre.
“We want people to have fun with the exhibition which will ask what clothing means to us today in a world where women wear trousers, men have long hair and clothing is often gender neutral.”
Who Wears the Trousers? runs in the Ferguson Room at the RSC from Wednesday 7 May until Sunday 31 August.
The Roaring Girl will be performed in the Swan Theatre from Wednesday 9 April until Tuesday 30 September.
A separate exhibition will feature 12 props from the RSC’s prop store. Visitors can find out the stories that lie behind the props and what happens to them once a production ends.
Props in the exhibition, called Is This a Dagger?, include a dagger from Macbeth, an alarm clock from The Taming of the Shrew, Yorick’s skull from Hamlet and a Jester’s head from King Lear.
Alan Fell, head of the RSC’s properties workshop said, “Our team make, source or find props for all RSC productions, all of which begin their life in Stratford.
“We use a huge range of skills from carving and sculpting to basket weaving and upholstery. The work is extremely detailed. Accuracy according to period is essential so we spend a lot of time consulting reference books, researching online and at museums.
“We’re often asked to make the strangest things. We’re looking forward to sharing some of these stories.”
The exhibition has been organised by Bristol-based Stand + Stare Collective. Spokeswoman Lucy Heywood said, “The RSC’s props store is a vast, sprawling warehouse full of aisles of metal shelves.
“It’s stuffed with weird and wonderful props from snails to sailing ships, all waiting to be reused or recycled. Through animation and video we’ll immerse the audience in this magical world and tell the wonderful stories of 12 of the props.”
Is This a Dagger? can be seen in the RSC’s PACCAR Room from Friday 4 April until Sunday 21 September.