• Driving Discovery

    Volunteers transcribing Folger manuscripts on Shakespeare’s World have uncovered a startling antedating for “partner” meaning “spouse,” resulting in a revised Oxford English Dictionary entry.

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  • C. King Photography

    Saint Joan

    Farm girl, warrior, heretic, and martyr—and all by the age of nineteen. Four actors perform over 25 roles in Bedlam’s riveting, stripped-down production of the classic George Bernard Shaw play about Joan of Arc. May 12 – June 10

    Buy Tickets Meet the Cast

  • Steve Zylius

    Shakespeare's Birthday Lecture

    Listen to a recording of the annual Shakespeare’s Birthday Lecture, presented this year by Julia Reinhard Lupton on Shakespeare’s virtues, with Folger Theatre actor Eric Hissom.

    Listen

  • Astor Place Riot

    Nearly 30 people were killed in May 1849 when fans of American actor Edwin Forrest rioted inside and outside New York’s Astor Place Opera House during a performance by Forrest’s British rival.

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  • Lloyd Wolf

    Beyond Words

    Beyond Words: Book Illustration in the Age of Shakespeare includes more than 80 illustrated books and prints from the Folger collection from the 15th to 18th centuries—many of which have rarely been displayed before. Video and period illustrations show how images were made and printed. On exhibit through Jun 3

    Learn More Curator Insights

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FOLGER FINDS

An Argentine Hamlet

Rafael Squirru and Juan Carlos Liberti collaborated to create this Argentine translation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet with surrealist illustrations.

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STAGE CONNECTIONS

George Bernard Shaw on Shakespeare

Shaw was utterly impatient with “Bardolatry,” but Saint Joan, onstage at Folger Theatre this month, may well be the most Shakespearean of Shaw’s major plays in its matter and its style.

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FROM THE BLOGS

Ghostly Dramas

Explore some works in the Folger collection from the early 20th century that were attributed to Shakespeare’s spirit, such as Hamlet in Heaven.

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FROM THE DIRECTOR

Our collections, spanning history from the Renaissance onward, and our educational and public programs support the value of pluralism and an open society in which all people contribute and all are treated with respect.
Michael Witmore
Folger Shakespeare Library Director
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  • Saint Joan: On stage through June 10

    Four actors play over twenty-five roles in Shaw's classic play. Led by director Eric Tucker (Sense and Sensibility), Bedlam's riveting production on the fierce Joan of Arc has been called "a theatrical miracle" (DC Theatre Scene). "Splendid ... there's wisdom and wit in abundance (Washington Post). 

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  • Become a 2018/19 Theatre Subscriber

    Subscribe and save to our 2018/19 season of theater which includes an east coast premiere of a new comedy from London, a Shakespeare history play making its Folger debut, and a delicious Shakespeare comedy. Benefits include discounted tickets to see Macbeth, a co-production with Folger Consort. Subscriptions start at $125.

    Subscription Information

  • 2018/19 Season of Folger Consort

    A five-course musical banquet brimming with early music of England, Germany, Spain, and Italy, plus a Restoration-era Macbeth opens the season with enchanting music from the 17th-century stage. Subscribe to all five concerts - and save.

    Learn About the Season

Upcoming at the Folger

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Become a Teacher Member today. This photo by James Brantley is from Teaching Shakespeare, 2014.

Folger Education

Teacher Membership

A Teacher Membership includes special access to the Folger's new online community for teachers, with hundreds of classroom-ready resources for teaching Shakespeare, as well as interviews with scholars, expert teachers, actors, and directors.

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