Staging Shakespeare
![The Beatles performing Pyramus and Thisbe The Beatles performing Pyramus and Thisbe](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2022/04/beatles-1.jpg?fit=10%2C10)
John, Paul, Pyramus, and Thisbe: The Beatles performing Shakespeare
Did you know that the Beatles once performed the “Pyramus and Thisbe” scene from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”? Although they mainly stick to Shakespeare’s script, the moments when they play with the text stand out.
![Hamlet at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company.](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2022/03/Hamlet-Early-8-Web-1024x683-1.jpg?fit=10%2C10)
What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in March
Take a look at what the Folger’s theater partners have on stage this March, including a long-awaited ‘Hamlet’ in Cincinnati, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ in Atlanta, and ‘The Merchant of Venice,’ with John Douglas Thompson, coming to Washington, DC.
![Shakespeare: Drum and Colours, Seattle Shakespeare Company](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2022/02/20211210_Shakespeare_Drum_and_Colours_0085_email.jpg?fit=10%2C10)
What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in February
There’s nothing intuitive about a month with 28 (sometimes 29) days and an unpredictable number of Rs in its name. But once you see what the Folger’s theater partners have onstage this month, seeing a show at a theater near…
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Black Women Shakespeareans, 1821 – 1960, with Joyce Green MacDonald
Joyce Green MacDonald shares the history of four Black women Shakespeareans who took to the American stage from 1821 – 1960: The African Grove Theatre’s “Miss Welsh,” Henrietta Vinton Davis, Adrienne McNeil Herndon, and Jane White.
![Denzel Washington in “The Tragedy of Macbeth Denzel Washington in “The Tragedy of Macbeth](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2022/01/The_Tragedy_of_Macbeth_Photo_0103_sm.jpg?fit=10%2C10)
The power of restriction: Joel Coen's 'The Tragedy of Macbeth'
Denzel Washington in The Tragedy of Macbeth, now streaming on Apple TV+ A movie that honors a play’s theatricality: That’s what director Joel Coen said he wanted for The Tragedy of Macbeth, his new adaptation of the Scottish play. The…
What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in January
This January, new productions kick off at the Atlanta Shakespeare Company and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. Plus, streaming productions of Macbeth, a podcast returns, and a new audio play.
![Production crew of BEDLAM: The Series Production crew of BEDLAM: The Series](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2022/01/Bedlam-The-Series-Day-1-3-scaled-fb.jpg?fit=10%2C10)
Making BEDLAM: Creating a Shakespeare mash-up series
Production crew of BEDLAM: The Series. Photo by Ashley Garrett. Eric Tucker is an off-Broadway director and Artistic Director of Bedlam Theatre. Musa Gurnis is an early modern theater scholar and actor. When we pitched our Shakespeare mash-up series BEDLAM…
![It's Christmas, Carol, Oregon Shakespeare Festival](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2021/12/single-image-carol-2.jpg?fit=10%2C10)
What's Onstage at Shakespeare Theaters in December
In December, many of our theater partners take a break from Shakespeare to celebrate the holidays with their communities! We reached out to them to hear about holiday productions including “Cinderella,” “The Gift of the Magi,” “A Christmas Carol,” “It’s Christmas, Carol!” and…
What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in November
If you’re looking for a side of Shakespeare to go with that Thanksgiving turkey, check out the plays that the Folger’s theater partners have cooking this month!
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Folger Finds: Edwin Booth's royal tunic
Marking the anniversary of actor Edwin Booth’s birth on November 13, 1833, we explore a stunning historical costume from the Folger collection: an embroidered-velvet tunic that Booth wore onstage as King Richard III.
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Helena Modjeska, a shining Polish-American star
Born on October 12, 1840, the Shakespearean star Helena Modjeska shone bright in two very different theatrical worlds, first becoming a leading lady in Warsaw and then, after moving to Anaheim, California, launching a second career as a leading actress…
![Romeo & Juliet, from Shakespeare Dallas 2021-1_email](https://images.folger.edu/uploads/2021/10/SD-011-Romeo-Juliet-2021-1_email.jpg?fit=10%2C10)
What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in October
October brings a bumper crop of productions from the Folger’s theater partners, including a ‘King Lear’ performed in Original Pronunciation, ‘Romeos and Juliets’ galore, and a new adaptation of ‘As You Like It’ featuring the music of the Beatles.