The Reading Room Festival 2023
Featuring works inspired by and in conversation with Shakespeare
Booking and details
Dates Thu, Jan 19 - Sat, Jan 21, 2023
Venue Folger Theatre
Tickets $25 for all 4 readings for $25, $50 All access pass for all 4 readings and all pre-performance talks, Morning coffee, and more!
This event has passed, but we invite you to join us for the 2025 festival
Celebrate new theater in the new year with our first inaugural Reading Room Festival. Each reading will be followed by a conversation with the playwrights, directors, members of the press, and scholars.
Plays
A Room in the Castle by Lauren Gunderson, directed by Eddie DeHais, Michele Osherow, dramaturg
How does a woman survive the court of Denmark? A Room in the Castle re the stories of the women of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Julius X by Al Letson, directed by Nicole Brewer, John Proctor III, dramaturg
Set in 1965, Julius X intermixes the lives of Julius Caesar and slain civil rights leader Malcolm X, re-envisioning Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar with a new perspective.
Our Verse in Time to Come by Malik Work and Karen Ann Daniels, in collaboration with and directed by Devin E. Haqq, John Proctor III, dramaturg
Inspired by the works and words of Shakespeare, Our Verse in Time to Come bridges the past with the present and asks whose stories should remain and who’s responsible for their survival? World premiere Folger Theatre commission
Hamlet bilingual adaption by Reynaldo Piniella and Emily Lyon, translation by Christin Eve Cato, directed by Tatiana Pandiani
Hamlet is a Black, Latinx prince in this radical bilingual reimagining of Shakespeare’s tragedy, with text infused by the Spanish spoken in present-day New York City.
Playwrights
Directors
COVID policy
We look forward to welcoming you to in-person performances. Please note: All attendees are required to wear a mask, and proof of vaccination is not required for audiences. Fully vaccinated artists will not be wearing masks while speaking. Folger staff will remain masked at all times. The Folger is committed to maintaining the highest level of health and safety precautions around COVID-19.
Folger Theatre Sponsors
With special thanks to
Share Fund
Season Sponsors
Maygene and Steve Daniels
Helen and David Kenney and Family
The late Neal T. Turtell
Production Sponsors
Nicky Cymrot
Nancy and Steve Howard
Robin and Roger Millay
Contributing Sponsors
Keith and Celia Arnaud
Louis and Bonnie Cohen
Denise Gwyn Ferguson
Margaret and David Gardner
Associate Sponsors
Timothy J. Carlton
Dr. David E. Johnson and Ms. Wendy Frieman
Peter and Mary Jay Michel
Gail Kern Paster