There is also a term called a skirt role. This is the opposite of a trouser role: it is a man acting the part of a woman. Benjamin Britten uses one in the role of the Madwoman in "Curlew River". The witch in Humperdinck’s "Hansel and Gretel" is also sung by a man. In both cases it makes the characters more dramatic, but the first is very serious while the second is supposed to be humorous.