Were there laws against female actors in shakepearian times?

No, women were not restricted from acting in Elizabethan England. Female actresses and singers did exist in the Tudor and Jacobean periods, but their roles were limited. This is because women were not allowed to take part in public performances, so female roles had to be played by male actors, often referred to as 'boy actors'. It wasn't until the late 1600s that women began to take on female roles on the English stage.