Folger Shakespeare Library
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The world's largest Shakespeare collection - plus, home to Folger Theatre, Consort, Poetry, Exhibitions, Research, Education, and more!
Renea S. Brown (Isabella), Nathan Darrow (The Duke), and Lee Osorio (Angelo) stopped by Good Morning Washington to talk about "Measure for Measure," how the production came together, why it's set in the 1950s American South, and what audiences will leave thinking about. wjla.com/good-morning...
Shakespeare's 'Measure for Measure' Gets a Southern Twist
Folger Theatre is giving Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure a bold new setting in the 1950s American South (7News).
wjla.com
"To Hear Her Speak" (opening Oct 16 at the Folger) explores how Black women have engaged with Shakespeare’s work over hundreds of years through literature, performance art, fashion, and activism. Take an early look at the exhibition courtesy of @washingtonian.com: washingtonian.com/2026/10/05/a...
An Intriguing Exhibit on Shakespeare and Black Women
The Folger looks into some under-explored history.
washingtonian.com
Now on the podcast, acclaimed actors and real-life spouses Brian Cox and Nicole Ansari-Cox share stories from their extraordinary careers on stage and screen, including their current roles as Johann Sebastian and Anna Magdalena Bach in "The Score" www.folger.edu/podcasts/sha...
Brian Cox and Nicole Ansari-Cox
Acclaimed actors and real-life spouses Brian Cox and Nicole Ansari-Cox share stories from their extraordinary careers on stage and screen, from King Lear and Succession to their current roles as Johan...
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Banning books goes back thousands of years, almost as long as people have been writing. For Banned Books Week (Oct 4-10), Aaron T. Pratt, the Folger's curator of rare books and prints, looks at one of 15 books that James I went beyond banning to publicly burn: www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
James I's Last Book Burning | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
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This week at @folger.edu Artistic Research Fellow, award-winning clown, & playful co-conspirator Chase Brantley is doing an interactive conversation about his research connecting contemporary clowning to the pre-Restoration history of the practice.
Cocktails & Conversation: "Fools Breaking Rules" with Chase Brantley | Folger Shakespeare Library
Join us for Cocktails & Conversation with Artistic Research Fellow Chase Brantley! Brantley will lead an interactive conversation using contemporary clowning technique as a lens into the Renaissance s...
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After seeing Psalmayene 24’s staging of "Measure for Measure" at the Folger, John Stoltenberg of DC Theater Arts left the theater, "overwhelmed by the brilliance and power of his production concept: setting the play in the segregated American South in the 1950s." dctheaterarts.org/2026/10/02/p...
Psalmayene 24 on what Shakespeare is doing in America’s Jim Crow South
The director of Folger Theatre’s must-see ‘Measure for Measure’ explains the racial and sexual impact of setting the play in the segregated 1950s.
dctheaterarts.org
In "Measure for Measure," Shakespeare’s setting of 16th-century Vienna was a stand-in for his own London. @austintichenor.bsky.social writes that recent productions updated to the 20th century give fresh historical specificity to the play’s ethical dilemmas. www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
"Here in Vienna": Updating the setting in Measure for Measure is no problem | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
folger.edu
Scholar @ruben-espinosa.bsky.social explores all we gain when we build a bigger bookshelf—one that includes Shakespeare and the many different voices that have followed. Read his blog, part of our America's Next 250 blog series: www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
Shaping Shakespeare | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
folger.edu
Director Psalmayene returns to the Folger to tackle "Measure for Measure." In this Q&A, he shares his first thoughts on the production, set in the American South in the 1950s, and how he approaches Shakespeare’s text like a new work. www.folger.edu/blogs/folger...
Reframing Shakespeare's Measure for Measure in the American South in the 1950s | Folger Shakespeare Library
Psalmayene 24, the Helen Hayes Award-winning director of Folger Theatre's Metamorphoses, shares his first thoughts on the upcoming production of Measure for Measure, set in the American South in the 1...
folger.edu
In the theater and classroom, scholar Jean E. Howard explores how Shakespeare can help us to develop "democratic practices that embrace the thoughts and talents of multitudes..." More in our America's Next 250 blog series at the link in our bio! www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
Democratic Shakespeare | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
folger.edu
Who doesn’t like the occasional dip into someone else’s personal correspondence? The Folger’s collection of 16th and 17th century letters gets us up close and personal with some of the period’s most famous and infamous people. Today we take a look at John Donne: www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
Other People's Mail | John Donne | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
folger.edu
Go behind the scenes with costume designer Mika Eubanks (@mika_eubanksdesigns) who is creating the 1950s looks for Folger Theatre's "Measure for Measure."
Dressing the Past in Measure for Measure | Folger Shakespeare Library
Costume Designer and Folger Artistic Research Fellow Mika Eubanks discusses her historical research into designing Measure for Measure costumes that capture the fashions of the 1950s in the US Souther...
folger.edu
Audiences today continue to debate the questions that "Measure for Measure" raises. While it may be one of Shakespeare’s less frequently performed works, several quotes from it are well known. www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
Famous quotes from Measure for Measure | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
folger.edu
"The Bard in the Borderlands" (@acmrs.bsky.social), a three-volume anthology of plays by Chicanx and Indigenous playwrights, explores the possibilities of retelling Shakespeare through the culture, language, and traditions of “the borderlands.” More on the podcast: www.folger.edu/podcasts/sha...
The Bard in the Borderlands | Folger Shakespeare Library
From a re-imagining of The Tempest set in a Houston school gymnasium to Macbeth's Weird Sisters practicing brujería, the three-volume anthology The Bard in the Borderlands compiles fantastic transform...
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Shakespeare lived through climate change, too. Scholar Harry R. McCarthy says characters in the plays—from Titania to Viola to the courtiers in "The Temptest"—show the power in catastrophic times of turning "our thoughts to the collective over the individual." www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
Titania's warning to America | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
folger.edu
One of Shakespeare’s most appealing yet perhaps underpraised talents is his ability to readily coin insults that fit the moment and the mood. Try our quiz about a few of the many memorable insults in Shakespeare’s plays. www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
Quiz: Shakespearean insults | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
folger.edu
Now on the blog, Assistant Curator of Collections Johnna Champion explores a variety of collection items that show the mixed responses to "Measure for Measure" over the centuries. www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
Responding to Measure for Measure over the centuries | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
folger.edu
Scholar Paul Menzer remembers Dolly Parton (1946-2026) and the Shakespeare play that inspired her as a singer-songwriter. www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
Goodbye Dolly | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
folger.edu
Why is it important for lawyers to brush up their Shakespeare? On the podcast, University of Michigan Law professor and author Len Niehoff @lenniehoff.bsky.social discusses what Shakespeare can teach lawyers about looking at problems from every possible angle. www.folger.edu/podcasts/sha...
Shakespeare and the Law, with Len Niehoff | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
folger.edu
What were readers of Shakespeare thinking about in 1776 as the US was forming? Scholar Brandi K. Adams @bkadams.bsky.social looks at a critical edition of "Antony and Cleopatra" published in England that year and why its editor didn’t believe the play had a future. www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
'A blameable relish of indecency:' Antony and Cleopatra in 1776 | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
folger.edu
It's our most popular question! ❌ 🧤 @wtopnews.bsky.social and Matt Kaufax are are on the case as to why we don't wear gloves when handling books: wtop.com/matt-about-t...
How to examine priceless 400-year-old Shakespeare texts in DC without using gloves – WTOP News
If you were a historian handling a centuries-old document, would you wear gloves? WTOP aims to answer that question on Thursday's episode of "Matt About Town."
wtop.com
Actress Ellen Terry was most famous for her Shakespearian roles. But in addition to being an actress, Terry was also a dog lover. In honor of International Dog Day, our Collation blog looks at some of the many pups found in her photo album in the Folger's collection. www.folger.edu/blogs/collat...
International Dog Day: Delightful Dogs From the Photo Album of Ellen Terry | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
folger.edu
Matt Kaufax and @wtopnews.bsky.social investigate the question of "Why Shakespeare?" and why the Folgers amassed such a large collection of Folios. wtop.com/matt-about-t...
Why preserving Shakespeare is still important today - WTOP News
In this episode of “Matt About Town,” explore why Shakespeare’s works remain worth preserving more than 400 years later.
wtop.com
Tomorrow is the anniversary of Richard III's death at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Richard is one of Shakespeare's most famous and popular villains. But how much of Shakespeare's depiction is truth and how much is theatrical invention? Let's explore! www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
RIP Richard III | Folger Shakespeare Library
On August 22, 1485, Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field. 500 years later, Richard is one of Shakespeare's most famous and popular villains. But how much of Shakespeare's depiction i...
folger.edu
Announcing the cast of "Measure for Measure"! Power, desire, and morality take center stage in this production directed by Psalmayene 24 and running September 22–November 1, 2026. Tickets at folger.edu/mfm
Arts administrator, writer, and advocate @hesherman.bsky.social recently saw "The Winter's Tale" for the first time. On the blog, he shares his approach to seeing Shakespeare after decades of theatergoing and the rewards of letting the production speak first. www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
When Shakespeare is new | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
folger.edu
Our conservators work hard to preserve and restore our collection. Thanks to @wtopnews.bsky.social for highlighting!
WTOP News@wtopnews.bsky.social · 2mo agoPreserving Shakespeare: How DC’s Folger Library keeps 400-year-old volumes pristine
On our "Collation" blog, scholar Brandi K. Adams @bkadams.bsky.social, an assistant professor at Arizona State University, explores the first use of the words "artificial intelligence" and what they meant then and now. www.folger.edu/blogs/collat...
Artificial Intelligence, 1588 | Folger Shakespeare Library
Brandi K. Adams explores how concerns about "artificiall intelligence" manifest in the 16th and 17th centuries, reflecting the concerns of our own time.
folger.edu
