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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).
The Lofty Melodica of War: Sound and Music in 'King John'
Folger Spotlight

The Lofty Melodica of War: Sound and Music in 'King John'

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Folger Theatre

We look more closely at the music of Folger Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s timely political drama with sound designer and composer Lindsay Jones.

John Jams: Music to Break Your Treaties By
Folger Theatre King John
Folger Spotlight

John Jams: Music to Break Your Treaties By

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Folger Theatre

King John is one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known plays, and we can’t wait to share it with you when performances begin this week. To get in the spirit, here’s a playlist of songs that speak to the themes of the play.

Dramaturg's Notes: King John
Folger Spotlight

Dramaturg's Notes: King John

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Folger Theatre

olger Resident Dramaturg Michele Osherow introduces us to King John—Shakespeare’s play about the troublesome, Magna-Carta-signing English ruler—before this rarely performed play takes the Folger stage later this month.

“A Strange Perfection”: Staging Bedlam in our Restoration Macbeth
Folger Spotlight

“A Strange Perfection”: Staging Bedlam in our Restoration Macbeth

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Folger Theatre

Dramaturgical intern Sarah Lind previously introduced us to the historical Bedlam asylum, the setting for Folger’s current production of Macbeth. Today, she looks more closely at how the production uses Bedlam to explore this Restoration version of Shakespeare’s bloody tragedy, and…

Playlist: A Guide to the Music in Folger's Restoration Macbeth
Folger Spotlight

Playlist: A Guide to the Music in Folger's Restoration Macbeth

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Folger Theatre

Musical Director Robert Eisenstein provides insights on the music performed in Folger’s current production of Macbeth.

Bedlam and the “Theatre of Madness”
Folger Spotlight

Bedlam and the “Theatre of Madness”

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Folger Theatre

Dramaturgical intern Sarah Lind takes us on a tour of Bedlam’s history in anticipation of Macbeth’s first preview on September 4th.

The Season Ahead
Folger Spotlight

The Season Ahead

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Folger Theatre

With rehearsals for Macbeth already underway, the Spotlight reached out to people in Public Programs division to find out what they were most looking forward to in the coming year.

How We Spent Our Summer Vacation
Folger Spotlight

How We Spent Our Summer Vacation

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Folger Theatre

Folger Public Programs has been preparing for an upcoming season of theater, poetry, and music. Public Programs Intern Madelyn Dundon catches us up on what has been happening over the summer ahead of performances of Macbeth.

Director's Notes: Saint Joan
Folger Spotlight

Director's Notes: Saint Joan

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Folger Theatre

Director Eric Tucker has been called “the best classical director in America” by The Wall Street Journal.  Read what he has to say about this production of Saint Joan, which is on at Folger Theatre through June 10.

Meet the Cast: Saint Joan
Folger Spotlight

Meet the Cast: Saint Joan

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Folger Theatre

Meet the four actors performing all twenty-seven roles in George Bernard Shaw’s ‘Saint Joan,’ on the Folger stage beginning May 12.

Katie deBuys and her grandmother's Winter's Tale
Folger Spotlight

Katie deBuys and her grandmother's Winter's Tale

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Folger Theatre

Actress Katie deBuys (Hermione) keeps a very special copy of this play in her dressing room—the one her grandmother used in college. She spoke to us about this cherished volume and what Shakespeare meant to her grandmother.

"Music, awake her!": Liz Filios on the tunes of The Winter's Tale
Folger Spotlight

"Music, awake her!": Liz Filios on the tunes of The Winter's Tale

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Folger Theatre

Composer Liz Filios stopped by The Folger Spotlight to share how folk music has shaped this production (and to share some of the songs that have inspired her).

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