Folger Shakespeare Library Announces Winter Programming and Events

Season specific programs include Folger Frost Fair, Folger Salons, 
Author Talks, and Folger Fridays

The Folger Shakespeare Library is excited to share its lineup of winter programming. From holiday concerts to family workshops and a world-premiere theatrical production, the months of December through March continue to offer engaging takes on the Folger’s 2024-25 Who’s Democracy? season. Below, please find the lineup of events and programming from December 10, 2024-March 25, 2025.

Press Kit available here: www.folger.edu/frostfair-presskit/

Please send any press inquiries or requests for tickets to press@folger.edu.

All programming and artists are subject to change. The most up-to-date information is available at www.folger.edu/whats-on/.

EXHIBITIONS

• Imprints in Time
• Little Books, Big Gifts: The Artistry of Esther Inglis
• How to Be a Power Player: Tudor Edition

FOLGER CONSORT

• A Mass for Christmas
• The Love Birds

FOLGER THEATRE

• The Reading Room Festival
• A Room in the Castle

O.B. HARDISON POETRY SERIES

• We the People … Promote the General Welfare
• The Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize
• The 2025 Eudora Welty Lecture: Amor Towles

CHRONOLOGICAL PROGRAMMING:

DECEMBER 2024

Folger Poetry: Emily Dickinson Birthday Tribute
December 10, 7:30–8:30pm
$20 | Folger Theatre
$10+ | Virtual

The O.B. Hardison Poetry series hosts its annual celebration of Emily Dickinson with a reading by the Poetry Foundation’s Ruth Lilly Lifetime Achievement Award winner Kimiko Hahn. Hahn is the author of ten collections of poetry, including The Ghost Forest: New & Selected Poems. From the political to the personal, and from science to the journals of Matsuo Bashō, the celebrated Haiku poet of Japan, Hahn brings a lyrical gaze to all these subjects and more. Poet and civil rights lawyer Sunu Chandy moderates the post-reading conversation with a book selling and signing to follow the reading.  Emily Dickinson’s famous black cake, specially prepared by SugaChef Desserts, will be shared for the occasion.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/emily-dickinson-birthday-tribute-reading-with-kimiko-hahn/

Folger Salon with Pablo Miguel Sierra Silva and Ania Upstill
December 12, 4:30–5:30pm
FREE | Great Hall

Learn about the research happening at the Folger in real time! Each month, scholar and artist fellows will share their most exciting finds and thought-provoking challenges, followed by casual open conversation. Arrive early to purchase treats from the Folger’s new café, Quill & Crumb!

www.folger.edu/whats-on/folger-salon-december-2024/

Folger Friday: Holiday Singalong
December 13, 5:30–7:30pm
FREE | Folger Shakespeare Library 

Get into the festive mood at the Folger! Join us for a spirited night of hot cocoa, ornament-making, and general merriment. The Voice contestant (Season 25) L. Rodgers will lead holiday singalongs. Don’t be a Scrooge: don your favorite seasonal attire and bring your friends and family for this holly, jolly evening.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/folger-friday-holiday-singalong/  

To Be a Shakespearean Actor Family Program
December 14, 11:30am & 1:00pm
FREE | Folger Theatre

Develop your acting skills using early modern techniques! Join the Folger team as we dive into and try out Elizabethan acting styles. Then, learn about the power of Shakespeare’s words to inspire actors, trends, and riots!

There are two sessions available with these recommended ages:

11:30am–12:30pm: Recommended Ages 4-7
1–2pm: Recommended Ages 8-14

www.folger.edu/whats-on/family-workshop-to-be-a-shakespearean-actor/

Folger Consort: A Mass for Christmas Eve: Baroque Music for the Season
Through December 15, 2024
$20-$60 | Folger Theatre  

Composed in 1694, Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s “Messe de Minuit pour Noel” is based on captivating, folksong-like noels steeped in the composer’s characteristic balance of irresistible dance rhythms and sophisticated harmonies. The Consort will complement Charpentier’s Mass with haunting English “Balulalows” for voices set amid joyful instrumental concertos by Italian baroque masters, including Vivaldi.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/a-mass-for-christmas-eve/#book

JANUARY 2025

Folger Frost Fair
Through January 5
FREE | Folger Shakespeare Library

During Shakespeare’s time, the River Thames would sometimes completely freeze in the winter. Londoners took daily life to the ice—setting up food and drink stalls, playing games, and even operating printing presses selling souvenir postcards. In the spirit of this bygone winter wonder, we invite visitors to experience a Folger Frost Fair!

This winter, the Folger will deck its halls with festive decorations. Quill & Crumb will sell seasonal treats such as hot cocoa, and the Folger Shop will be stocked with gifts for holiday shopping. There will be free activities for kids and a family photo station. There will be giveaways and other surprises. And we’ll offer printing press demonstrations regularly. Come celebrate the season at the Folger!

www.folger.edu/whats-on/programs/folger-frost-fair/

Folger Salon with Shaul Bassi, Rob Clines, and Sylvia Korman
January 16, 4:30–5:30pm
FREE | Great Hall

Learn about the research happening at the Folger in real time! Each month, scholar and artist fellows will share their most exciting finds and thought-provoking challenges, followed by casual open conversation. Arrive early to purchase treats from the Folger’s new café, Quill & Crumb!

www.folger.edu/whats-on/folger-salon-january-2025/ 

Lifelong Learners: Shakespeare 101: A Reintroduction
January 16 and January 23, 6–8:30pm
$150/person | Founders’ Meeting Room

Join the Folger for a two-day program centered on Shakespeare, his works, and our new exhibition halls. This program is for anyone who wants to learn more about Shakespeare or find a new perspective on Shakespeare’s works, no matter your previous experiences.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/

Edmond Dédé and Morgiane
January 16, 6:30 pm–8pm
FREE | Folger Shakespeare Library and online 

Opera Lafayette and the Folger Shakespeare Library present an integrated talk exploring the music of Edmond Dédé (1827–1903).  Vocal artist, improvisor, and composer currently in residence with the American Composers Orchestra Mali Irene leads a conversation with OperaCréole Founder and Artistic Director Givonna Joseph and classical music scholars about Dédé’s biography and musical legacy. Before the talk, see the manuscript of Morgiane, the first known opera by a Black American composer, on display in the Out of the Vault gallery.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/edmond-dede-and-morgiane/

Author Talk and Reading: The Girls of Godzilla, Illinois with Jami Nakamura Lin
January 16, 6:30–7:30pm
FREE, registration required | Virtual

How do we live with the things that haunt us? This is the question at the center of Artistic Research Fellow Jami Nakamura Lin’s speculative novel-in-essays The Girls of Godzilla, Illinois. Join us for a virtual interview with Jami, where we’ll discuss collective memory, fairy tale motifs from early modern Europe and Edo period Japan, and the role of speculative fiction as a site of possibility and resistance. The interview will be followed by a selected reading from The Girls of Godzilla, Illinois and space for Q&A.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/author-talk-jami-nakamura-lin/

Folger Poetry: Not Just Another Day Off
January 18-20
FREE | Virtual, pre-recorded

In this free, pre-recorded event, the Folger Shakespeare Library celebrates the birthday of famed civil rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Not Just Another Day Off” in a performance sparkling with historical speeches and contemporary poetry.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/events/poetry/

Folger Friday: Wellness Workshop
January 24, 5:30–7:30pm
FREE | Folger Shakespeare Library

Sticking to a New Year’s resolution can be hard. The Folger is here to help start off 2025 right! Whether you are working on your health, mindfulness, or well-being, the Folger is offering an evening of yoga, sound spas, meditation, and more!

www.folger.edu/whats-on/

Family Workshop
January 25, 11:30am & 1pm
FREE | Folger Theatre

The Folger invites families to join us once a month for workshops on the world of Shakespeare and beyond!

There are two sessions available with these recommended ages:

11:30am–12:30pm: Recommended Ages 4-7
1–2pm: Recommended Ages 8-14

www.folger.edu/whats-on/

The Reading Room Festival
January 30, 2025—February 2, 2025
$125-$150 for All-Access Festival Pass | Folger Shakespeare Library

Folger Theatre’s Reading Room Festival returns for its third year, sharing staged readings, panel discussions, workshops, and community celebrations. This festival unites artists, critics, and scholars in a celebration of creative community, as they collaboratively explore the multifaceted nature of Shakespeare’s stories.  Playwrights and adaptors of Shakespeare’s works include Barry Edelstein, Emily Lyon, Reynaldo Piniella, and Whitney White.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/the-reading-room-festival-2025/

FEBRUARY 2025

Folger Book Club: Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb
February 6, 6:30–8pm EST
FREE, registration required | Virtual

Our informal Book Club is free and open to all. Our picks range from historical fiction to adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays, encompassing a wide variety of genres—all sourced from a different local, independent bookstore partner each month. Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb is a contemporary thriller featuring a scholarly mystery about a long-lost opera.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/folger-book-club-february-2025/

Family Workshop
February 8, 11:30am & 1pm
FREE | Folger Theatre

The Folger invites families to join us once a month for workshops on the world of Shakespeare and beyond! Two programs are offered each day to accommodate different age groups.

There are two sessions available with these recommended ages:

11:30am–12:30pm: Recommended Ages 4-7
1–2pm: Recommended Ages 8-14

www.folger.edu/whats-on/   

Workshop and Community Read: Sweet Blood with Camille Simone Thomas
February 8, 3:30–5pm
FREE, registration required | Folger Theatre

Join Whose Democracy? Artist Fellow Camille Simone Thomas for a workshop and community read of her speculative historical fiction play Sweet Blood, set in 1727 Jamaica. Participants will learn about the rare materials that inform Camille’s work, as well as how she incorporates archival research into her writing process. Throughout the program, discussion will explore colonialism as a power play, form of social climbing, and mechanism for greed, as well as how we can critique this history from a modern viewpoint. 

www.folger.edu/whats-on/sweetblood-workshop-and-community-read/

Exhibition: How to Be a Power Player: Tudor Edition
February 8, 2025–July 2025
FREE | Exhibition Halls

Social climbing was a competitive sport in Tudor England, requiring a complex range of skills, strategies, and techniques. How to Be a Power Player: Tudor Edition invites visitors into a world of lace ruffs, jousting, hawks, bad handwriting, scandal, and political factions. Experience the playbooks, the people, and the spectacular fails, as courtiers tried to navigate the minefield of working for a boss who could shower you with riches or chop off your head.

www.folger.edu/visit/exhibitions/

Early Music Seminar: The Love Birds
February 12, 6–7pm
$10 | Virtual

Folger Consort Artistic Director Robert Eisenstein leads a lively virtual seminar with other guest artists to offer a peek at the music performed in the Folger Consort’s upcoming The Love Birds: Chaucer’s A Parlement of Foules.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/early-music-seminar-the-love-birds/

Folger Consort: The Love Birds
February 14–16, 2025
$20-$45 | Folger Theatre 

Geoffrey Chaucer’s charming and trenchant A Parlement of Foules contains the first reference to St. Valentine as patron saint of lovers. The 14th-century poet’s vision of avian politics will be interspersed with bracing and intricate music of his times from England and France, perfectly mirrored by the newly-composed music of composer Juri Seo, commissioned for this performance.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/the-love-birds/#book

Folger Salon with Alex Baines, Rob Clines, and Anandi Rao
February 20, 4:30–5:30pm
FREE | Great Hall

Learn about the research happening at the Folger in real time! Each month, scholar and artist fellows will share their most exciting finds and thought-provoking challenges, followed by casual open conversation. Arrive early to purchase treats from the Folger’s new café, Quill & Crumb!

www.folger.edu/whats-on/folger-salon-february-2025/

Folger Friday Black Arts Fest
February 21, 5:30–7:30pm
FREE | Folger Shakespeare Library 

From its roots as Chocolate City, the flourishing of Black Broadway and the unmutable beats of DC Go-Go to today’s vibrant arts scene, DC has always been a city of Black artists. Join the Folger for this celebration of Black DC artists featuring music, dance, and creative workshops.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/

Folger Poetry: We the People … Promote the General Welfare
February 25, 7:30–8:30pm
$20 | Folger Theatre
$10+ | Virtual

Promoting the general welfare is commonly interpreted as improving transportation, promoting agriculture and industry, protecting health and the environment, and seeking ways to solve social and economic problems. But what has America done to promote the general welfare of all people, including the many Americans who have disabilities? Folger Poetry continues its exploration of Whose Democracy? with readings by poets torrin a. greathouse and Camisha L. Jones whose present works probe the erasure of disabled voices. This reading had originally included recently passed DC poet Kathi Wolfe, who will be honored and remembered during the reading.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/

Cocktails and Conversation with Luis Carazo
February 27, 7pm
FREE, registration requested | Great Hall

Engage your imagination and take a walk along the hero’s path with Luis Carazo! During his talk, actor (Amazon’s The Legend of Vox Machina) and avid gamer Luis will discuss role-playing games, their place within the broader spectrum of storytelling, and their impact as community- and empathy-building tools. The talk will be followed by Q&A and space for open conversation with Luis.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/cocktails-and-conversation-with-luis-carazo/

Mixology: Game Night with Luis Carazo, in partnership with Labyrinth Games & Puzzles
February 28, 6pm doors; 7pm trivia
$25 | Great Hall & Reading Room

Welcome! Wand’rer, to Mixology: Game Night! Join actor and avid gamer Luis Carazo and our neighbors at Labyrinth Games and Puzzles for a truly unique playthrough of our 5E adventure, “Folger Foe-lios: A Night at the Library.” Not ready to commit to a full RPG playthrough? No problem! Use your ticket to join us in Quill & Crumb, where we’ll have a variety of board games available to play. All tickets include a complimentary mixology cocktail. Cosplay is highly encouraged!

www.folger.edu/whats-on/mixology-game-night/

MARCH 2025

Inside the Season: Power on Parade
March 1, 11am–1pm
FREE | Folger Shakespeare Library 

From celebrations of identity to shows of protest, parades have been central to our culture. With Mardi Gras on the horizon, the Folger considers how pageantry has led to participation in our democratic process, looking at the unique history of DC’s parade culture while also examining the historical roots of some of our nation’s most celebrated processions.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/power-on-parade/

Folger Theatre: A Room in the Castle
by Lauren M. Gunderson
Directed by Kaja Dunn
Co-produced with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
March 4—April 6, 2025
$20–$84

How does a woman survive the court of Denmark? A Room in the Castle finds Ophelia, her handmaid, and Queen Gertrude on the other end of a wild prince’s antics, realizing just how dangerous life in this castle has become. As Ophelia withstands Hamlet’s assaults and insults, Gertrude comes to see how far gone her son truly is. What is she willing to risk to save Ophelia and herself if it means turning against her problematic child? A meditation on women helping women, what mothering a potential madman means, and what responsibility generations of feminists have to one another, the world premiere of A Room in the Castle by one of America’s most produced playwrights Lauren M. Gunderson, rebrands the stories of the women of Shakespeare’s Hamlet into a drama with music and defiant hope for the future.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/a-room-in-the-castle/

Folger Book Club: The Tower by Flora Carr
March 6, 6:30–8pm EST
FREE, registration required | Virtual

Our informal Book Club is free and open to all. Our picks range from historical fiction to adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays, encompassing a wide variety of genres—all sourced from a different local, independent bookstore partner each month. For our March session, we kick off Women’s History Month with a discussion of The Tower by Flora Carr, a bold, feminist novel reimagining Mary, Queen of Scots’s darkest hour.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/folger-book-club-march-2025/

Creative Conversation: A Room in the Castle
March 7, 6:30–7:30pm
$25 with discounts for members and subscribers | Folger Shakespeare Library 

A Room in the Castle director Kaja Dunn and members of the creative team share their creative perspectives on the production in an insightful pre-performance discussion moderated by Folger Theatre Artistic Director Karen Ann Daniels.  Complete your experience by joining us after the conversation for the 8pm performance of A Room in the Castle.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/creative-conversations-room-in-the-castle/

Folger Poetry: The Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize
March 11, 7:30–8:30pm
$20 | Folger Theatre
$10+ | Virtual 

The Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize, created in honor of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Anthony Hecht, is awarded annually for a poetry collection by a poet who has published no more than one previous book of verse. This season, the O.B. Hardison Poetry Series and co-sponsor The Waywiser Press celebrate Julia Thacker, the 19^th winner of the Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize with this year’s prize judge, acclaimed Irish poet, critic, playwright, and translator Paul Muldoon, who will read with Thacker. Muldoon is the author of fifteen full-length collections of poetry, and has published smaller collections, works of criticism, opera libretti, books for children, and radio and television drama.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/2025-anthony-hecht-poetry-prize-with-paul-muldoon/

Folger Poetry: The 2025 Eudora Welty Lecture: Amor Towles
March 27, 7:30–8:30pm
$25 | Folger Theatre 

The Folger and the Eudora Welty Foundation join together to welcome award-winning novelist Amor Towles as he delivers the 2025 Eudora Welty Lecture. Staged at Washington DC’s famed Folger Shakespeare Library returning for the first time in five years, Amor will present his speech inspired by the writing and life of famed author Eudora Welty. There will be a book signing after the lecture. The lecture is produced by the Eudora Welty Foundation in partnership with the Folger Shakespeare Library.

www.folger.edu/whats-on/the-2025-eudora-welty-lecture-amor-towles/

VISITING THE FOLGER:

The Folger Shakespeare Library is located at 201 East Capitol Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003 (one block east of the U.S. Capitol).

Hours: The Galleries and Great Hall, including exhibitions, Folger Shop, and Quill & Crumb are open11am–6pm, Sunday; closed Monday; 11am–6pm, Tuesday and Wednesday; 11am–9pm, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Extended evening hours on performance days.

Admission: It is free to visit the Folger, and we welcome walk-in visitors as building capacity allows. However, we recommend that you reserve a pay-what-you-will timed-entry pass, with a suggested donation starting at $15.

For more information, please visit www.folger.edu/visit/plan-your-visit/

About Folger Shakespeare Library:
       

The Folger Shakespeare Library makes Shakespeare’s stories and the world in which he lived accessible. Anchored by the world’s largest Shakespeare collection, the Folger is a place where curiosity and creativity are embraced, and conversation is always encouraged. Visitors to the Folger can choose how they want to experience the arts and humanities, from interactive exhibitions to captivating performances, and from path-breaking research to transformative educational programming. The Folger welcomes everyone to connect in their own way—from communities throughout Washington, DC, to communities across the globe.

Following a multiyear building renovation, the Folger’s historic Capitol Hill home reopened to the public on June 21, 2024. Learn more at www.folger.edu.

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