Hop onstage and speak some Shakespeare as part of The Insider’s Tour. Photo: Lloyd Wolf
Every week, there’s something new happening at The Playhouse. Check out what’s on this week, including a poetry reading, theater workshops, and a free outdoor concert.
Visit The Playhouse at the National Building Museum Thursday – Monday, 11 am – 4 pm.
See Folger Theatre’s magical A Midsummer Night’s Dream Tuesday – Sunday. Doors open for evening performances at 6:30 pm.
Visit our Pop-Up Shop for Folger and Midsummer merchandise before and after performances.
Monday, July 25
Shakespeare Lightning Round: Nubia M. Monks | 5 pm, Virtual on Instagram
The actress, who plays Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, joins us live on Instagram to answer our thirty lightning-fast questions about Shakespeare and theater.
Tuesday, July 26
A Midsummer Night’s Dream | 8 pm
Shake up your summer with Shakespeare’s most magical comedy live on The Playhouse’s custom-built Festival stage!
Wednesday, July 27
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Relaxed Performance | 4 pm
This performance relaxes the ambience in the auditorium and theater “rules.” These matinees are ideal for people with autism, sensory sensitivities, or other social, learning, or cognitive disabilities and neurodivergences, and others who would benefit from a relaxed theater experience.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream | 8 pm
Join the Frontera Project for workshops and performances beginning July 28. Photo: Cristina Byrne
Thursday, July 28
But A Dream: Annie Finch on the Moon | noon
Annie Finch shares poetry about the moon in this lunchtime poetry reading.
The Frontera Project: Workshop | 2 pm
The Frontera Project was created through a series of workshops which used the tools of theater to transform personal stories and experiences, as well as media narratives and clichés, into something lyrical, theatrical, and new. Join a workshop and discover the process yourself. Through games, physical exercises, and collaborative creation, explore and celebrate your own stories—in English or Spanish—and use your imaginations to shape them into art.
Music on the Lawn: Maria Isolina’s Sol y Rumba | 6:30 pm
Join some of the DMV’s most talented Latin musicians for a free outdoor concert featuring cumbia, merengue, salsa, and more.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream | 8 pm
Friday, July 29
The Frontera Project: Performance | noon
The Frontera Project brings Mexican and American artists together in a unique, bilingual, interactive performance. Fusing theater, movement, music, and play, this dynamic experience engages the audience in a compassionate, often joyous conversation about the Mexican/American border that lifts up human stories which are often lost.
The Frontera Project: Workshop | 2:30 pm
A Midsummer Night’s Dream | 8 pm
Saturday, July 30
The Frontera Project: Performance | noon
The Frontera Project: Workshop | 2:30 pm
Face painting | 1 – 4 pm
A Midsummer Night’s Dream | 4:30 and 8 pm
Sunday, July 31
The Frontera Project: Performance | noon
The Frontera Project: Workshop | 2:30 pm
Face painting | 1 – 4 pm
A Midsummer Night’s Dream | 7 pm
Daily Programs and Activities
Explore the Midsummer Forest
Wander through a giant pop-up book based on William Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Storytime and Activity | 11:30 am
The Insider’s Tour: The Building, The Forest, The Playhouse | 1 and 2 pm
Join Folger docents and staff for a 45-min interactive experience that will give you and inside view of The Playhouse. See what happens behind the scenes as we create theater, then jump onstage and have fun with some of Shakespeare’s juiciest lines.
Photo: Lloyd Wolf.
Scavenger Hunt
Search the Midsummer Forest and the Museum’s other exhibitions to discover 9 mischievous characters and the delightful plot of Shakespeare’s play.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Crafts
Build Your Own Globe Theater
Theater design plays a role in how audiences experience the show. Build your own paper model of London’s Globe Theatre and see how plays in this venue differ from today.
Shakespeare Mad Libs, Costumes, and Crowns
Elizabethan City by Design
Design your own version of 1600s London, the one Shakespeare knew. Learn how cities of that time differed from cities today and examine the role theatre plays in our urban world.
Questions? Call the Folger Box Office at 202-544-7077.
The Playhouse at the National Building Museum
401 F Street, NW
Metro: Judiciary Square
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