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The Folger Spotlight

ENCORES: Revisiting The Gunpowder Plot of 1605

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Folger ENCORES, red theater seats fading into darkness
Folger ENCORES, red theater seats fading into darkness

Folger Public Programs is pleased to present ENCORES, a bi-weekly online series highlighting past performances and recalling the rich history of programming on the historic Folger stage. ENCORES provides a way to connect and revisit the breadth of Folger offerings with a wider audience.

ENCORES presents

Words, Words, Words 
Collection items related to The Gunpowder Plot
as shown by Folger Learning and Engagement Librarian Rachel B. Dankert
originally presented as part of the November discussion of License to Quill by Jacopo della Quercia
Read the accompanying blog post

Learn more about License to Quill on The Folger Spotlight. Folger resources related to the novel are available here.

Read the introduction by Folger Learning and Engagement Librarian Rachel B. Dankert:

Hello and welcome to Folger Encores. I’m Rachel B. Dankert, the Learning and Engagement Librarian at the Folger Shakespeare Library. I am so happy to speak with you today. The Folger has been sharing selections with you from their plays, music, talks, and readings in this Encores series.

This week we are revisiting the License to Quill Book Club presentation from November 5, 2020. Taking place on the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, I shared items from the Folger Collection that capture the event and its aftermath. Before we get started, just a quick note that some of the images show executions and other violent images related to the events of the Gunpowder Plot.

Encores LogoCheck back each Friday for a new “from the archives” performance, introduced by some of our favorite artists, showcasing the best of Folger Theatre, Folger Consort, O.B. Hardison Poetry, and lectures.

Folger Theatre

Folger Theatre is the vibrant center piece of the Folger’s public programs. With a focus on Shakespeare, Folger Theatre produces plays reflecting the breadth of the library’s peerless collection. In this unique setting, with collaborations between artists and experts, Folger Theatre produces innovative stagings that have been commended as “breathtakingly original...strikingly contemporary” (The Washington Post). Led since 1991 by Artistic Producer Janet Alexander Griffin, Folger Theatre has received 135 nominations and 23 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in acting, direction, design, and production. During the recent seasons Folger Theatre has received the Outstanding Resident Play Award for its productions of Measure for Measure in 2007, Hamlet in 2011 and The Taming of the Shrew in 2013. Other highlights from Folger Theatre’s producing history include these Helen Hayes Award recipients or nominees for outstanding production: Romeo and Juliet (2013), Orestes: A Tragic Romp (2010), Henry VIII (2010), Arcadia (2009), Macbeth (2008), The Two Gentlemen of Verona (2006), Melissa Arctic (2006), She Stoops to Conquer (2002), Shakespeare’s R & J (2001), Much Ado About Nothing (1998), and Romeo and Juliet (1997). — View all posts by Folger Theatre