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The Folger Spotlight

Resource Guide: 'A Bright Ray of Darkness' by Ethan Hawke

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On April 1, 2021 the Folger hosts its Virtual Book Club, featuring a discussion on A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke. To prepare for the discussion, we have pulled together a list of Folger resources related to Shakespeare’s Henry IV plays, the performance of which forms the background of Hawke’s novel.

READ the play(s)

LISTEN to related podcast episodes

LEARN more about Henry IV pt. 1

EXPLORE the performance history of the play at the Folger

REVISIT Lincoln Center’s 2003 production, featuring Ethan Hawke as Hotspur

Shakespeare bust with glassesWords, Words,Words discusses Ethan Hawke’s A Bright Ray of Darkness on April 1, 2021. The event is free, but registration is required through our website.

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