Folger Shakespeare Library

As William Shakespeare’s home in the United States, the Folger Shakespeare Library is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence by sharing how Shakespeare has always been a part of the American story. Selected items from the Folger’s collection offer unique insights into American history with a Shakespearean focus.
How did a British playwright become so intertwined with the American story? The first European colonizers brought Shakespeare’s words and stories with them. Since then, Americans from all backgrounds have made Shakespeare’s words and stories their own. They adopt, critique, and adapt Shakespeare, weaving his work throughout the American experience.
The focal point of Shakespeare and the American Story presents a trio of important American “firsts”: The first American edition of Shakespeare’s plays (1795), the first illustrated American edition of Shakespeare’s plays (1844), and the first American edition of Shakespeare’s plays edited by women (1903).
Continue through our <a href="https://www.folger.edu/visit/exhibitions/shakespeare-exhibition/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Shakespeare</a> and <a href="https://www.folger.edu/whats-on/out-of-the-vault-exhibition/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Out of the Vault</a> exhibitions to find more objects that connect to Shakespeare and the American Story. Additional items from the Folger collection will go on view in mid-May.

Local Event: Shakespeare and the American Story

District of Columbia

Washington DC

District Of Columbia

Shakespeare and the American Story

As William Shakespeare’s home in the United States, the Folger Shakespeare Library is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the...

Celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday at the Folger with fun, family-friendly activities and birthday cupcakes for all!
Join us for stage combat demonstrations, ruff-making, coloring, and sonnet writing. Practice writing with a quill, try on some costumes, and see our 17th-century replica printing press in action. Plus, get your face painted with a Shakespearean mustache and beard.
Doors open at 11am for visitors to explore the exhibition galleries and Reading Room, where docents will be on hand to answer questions about the collection and the history of the Folger. Around 3:30pm we’ll sing “Happy Birthday” to Shakespeare and serve birthday cupcakes to all.

Local Event: Shakespeare's Birthday Celebration

Shakespeare's Birthday Celebration

Celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday at the Folger with fun, family-friendly activities and birthday cupcakes for all!
Join us for...

Join us for the Folger Institute’s annual Shakespeare’s Birthday Lecture with Dr. Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Oxford University. Every year, in commemoration of William Shakespeare’s birthday, the Folger invites a scholar to speak about Shakespeare and early modern life.
All guests are invited to join us after the lecture for a light reception in the Great Hall.

Local Event: Shakespeare's Birthday Lecture with Dr. Emma Smith

Shakespeare's Birthday Lecture with Dr. Emma Smith

Join us for the Folger Institute’s annual Shakespeare’s Birthday Lecture with Dr. Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies...

In this personal reflection, Adjoa Andoh MBE shares how she built her impressive career as a theater maker, actor, and director. During this talk, she will candidly discuss how she came to do the work she does and why she continues to pursue it.
While Andoh is most well-known among American audiences for her role as Lady Danbury in the Netflix TV show Bridgerton, she is also a highly regarded Shakespearean actor and director.

Local Event: Tell Out My Soul: What’s The Story and Who’s Telling It?

Tell Out My Soul: What’s The Story and Who’s...

In this personal reflection, Adjoa Andoh MBE shares how she built her impressive career as a theater maker, actor, and...

Tell Out My Soul: What’s The Story and Who’s Telling It?

<h2>Introduced by Adjoa Andoh MBE</h2>Join the Folger for a free screening of the 2019 Shakespeare’s Globe production of Richard II. Adjoa Andoh MBE conceived, co-directed, and played the lead in the UK’s first all women-of-color production of this Shakespeare play. The production offers, as Andoh has explained, a study in who each character is as a human being.

Local Event: Screening: Shakespeare’s Globe Richard II

Screening: Shakespeare’s Globe Richard II

Introduced by Adjoa Andoh MBEJoin the Folger for a free screening of the 2019 Shakespeare’s Globe production of Richard II....

<h3>Adapted and directed by Adjoa Andoh MBE</h3>A staged reading commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Federal Theatre Project’s production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth concludes Adjoa Andoh’s Director’s Residency at the Folger.
The incredibly successful 1936 staging was one of the first to feature an all-Black cast in the United States and was directed by a young Orson Welles. Andoh’s adaptation celebrates the skill of the Black classical actors and musicians involved in the historic production, and stars Andoh alongside a full company of actors.
The reading is being performed as a benefit event for the Folger Shakespeare Library.

Local Event: Macbeth: A Tribute to the Federal Theatre Project

Macbeth: A Tribute to the Federal Theatre Project

Adapted and directed by Adjoa Andoh MBEA staged reading commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Federal Theatre Project’s...

“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance,” Ophelia says in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. “And there is pansies, that’s for thoughts.” In this workshop, we’ll provide materials and inspiration for creating an artistic collage that references the symbolic meanings of flowers found in Ophelia’s famous speech and other poetic texts, from Emily Dickinson to Audre Lorde.
Artist Fellow Hannah Baker Saltmarsh and collaborative partner Sarah Antine will present a brief lesson on the use of flowers as a symbolic language. Participants will then have time to playfully experiment with a wide array of mixed media art and materials, texts, and floral symbolism to create their own visual collage poems.
Children are welcome to accompany adult participants free of charge. An age-appropriate collage activity will be separately provided for them.

Local Event: Collage Poetry Workshop with Hannah Baker Saltmarsh and Sarah Antine

Collage Poetry Workshop with Hannah Baker...

“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance,” Ophelia says in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. “And there is pansies, that’s for thoughts.”...

Collage Poetry Workshop with Hannah Baker Saltmarsh and Sarah Antine

Spring is in full bloom at the Folger Shakespeare Library!
Families will take inspiration from the season to make connections with nature in Shakespeare’s plays and throughout the Folger itself. Then, we will head to the Folger’s gardens to compose an “Ode to the Folger Gardens,” using lines from Shakespeare and Rita Dove’s poetry!
Attendance is free with a recommended $3 donation. There are two sessions available with these recommended ages:
11:30am – 12:30pm&nbsp; |&nbsp; recommended ages 5-7&nbsp;
1:00pm – 2:00pm&nbsp; |&nbsp; recommended ages 8-11

Local Event: Family Workshop: An Ode to the Gardens

Family Workshop: An Ode to the Gardens

Spring is in full bloom at the Folger Shakespeare Library!
Families will take inspiration from the season to make connections...

The Poetry season concludes with a finale reading by a poet chosen by a group of Folger Poetry supporters. This year’s reader, Kwame Dawes, is Poet Laureate of Jamaica (2024-2027) and winner of the prestigious Windham/Campbell Award for Poetry. Dawes will read from the work of other poets cited as his literary influences as well as from his own work.
Previous poets invited for this finale reading include Ellen Bass, Billy Collins, Carolyn Forché, and Jane Hirshfield. The reading will be followed by a book signing in the Great Hall.
Can’t join us in person? Purchase virtual access to a live streaming of the reading.&nbsp;

Local Event: The O.B. Hardison Poetry Series Finale Reading with Kwame Dawes

The O.B. Hardison Poetry Series Finale Reading...

The Poetry season concludes with a finale reading by a poet chosen by a group of Folger Poetry supporters. This year’s reader,...

The O.B. Hardison Poetry Series Finale Reading with Kwame Dawes

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Shakespeare and the American Story

APR

17

11:00 AM

Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St SE, Washington, DC

Shakespeare's Birthday Celebration

APR

18

11:00 AM

Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St SE, Washington, DC

Shakespeare's Birthday Lecture with Dr. Emma Smith

APR

18

8:00 PM

Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St SE, Washington, DC

Tell Out My Soul: What’s The Story and Who’s Telling It?

APR

19

7:00 PM

Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St SE, Washington, DC

Screening: Shakespeare’s Globe Richard II

APR

21

7:00 PM

Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St SE, Washington, DC

Macbeth: A Tribute to the Federal Theatre Project

APR

25

7:00 PM

Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St SE, Washington, DC

Collage Poetry Workshop with Hannah Baker Saltmarsh and Sarah Antine

APR

29

4:30 PM

Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St SE, Washington, DC

Family Workshop: An Ode to the Gardens

MAY

16

11:30 AM

Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St SE, Washington, DC

The O.B. Hardison Poetry Series Finale Reading with Kwame Dawes

MAY

19

7:03 PM

Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St SE, Washington, DC

Heirloom - Silver & Brass Restoration Services: THURSDAYS 10-4

The free JCA Northern Virginia Virtual 50+ Employment Expo

African People’s Socialist Party International Plenary: "This Time "Til it's Won!"

DC Open House | 1239 Vermont Ave NW | 2 Units

Old Town Alexandria’s Annual Spring Home and Garden Tour Showcases Historic Homes with Storied Pasts