Ignore casting decisions and enjoy the play

As a fan of the First Folio Shakespeare productions in Oak Brook, I am surprised at the furor raised over mixed-gender casting for their latest production, "As You Like It." When Will's plays were originally performed, women were never part of the cast. Their parts were played by boys dressed in Elizabethan drag. Women were relegated to seamstress work in the costume department and keeping the wine goblets filled backstage. Imagine the horror and the stampede for the parking lot if the play followed the theatrical culture of that time. To those who objected, please park your prejudices in the lot and enjoy the words and acting. That's why it's called "theater."

Gerry Souter

Arlington Heights