The Folger Spotlight

On February 5, 2026 the Folger’s virtual book club returns with a discussion of Well Met by Jen DeLuca. To prepare for the discussion, we have pulled together a list of resources related to Shakespeare and romance.

Introductory information on the February 2026 Folger Book Club selection, Well Met by Jen DeLuca.

Alexa Babakhanian shares the history of Dark Lady: A Musical Theater Work, her Broadway aspirations for the play, and why she was drawn to Amelia Bassano as a possible author for Shakespeare’s works.

Playwright Marcus Gardley discusses why he added a wife for Lear, how LEAR may be adapted for your own city, and how he interweaves Shakespeare’s royal tragedy with a modern moment in American history.

Barbara Fuchs shares insight into her work as founder and director of Diversifying the Classics, which promotes the vibrant, Spanish-language theatrical tradition developed on both sides of the Atlantic. In this Q&A she also discusses Lope de Vega’s prolific career as a playwright and what it’s like to adapt his work for younger audiences.

Playwright Alberto Bonilla shares how Shakespeare’s Cymbeline reminds him of telenovelas and spaghetti westerns. He also discusses the process of adapting a bilingual play and why setting Cymbeline in the American West works.

Robert Eisenstein writes about the Spanish and Portuguese composers whose music is featured in Folger Consort’s holiday concert, Resplendent Joy.

On December 4, 2025 the Folger’s virtual book club returns with a discussion of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett. To prepare for the discussion, we have pulled together a list of resources related to Shakespeare, fairies, and folklore.

Introductory information on the December 2025 Folger Book Club selection, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett.

Folger Consort co-Artistic Director Robert Eisenstein shares the incredible life stories and accomplishments of Torquato Tasso, Barbara Strozzi, George Frideric Handel, and others featured in these November 7-9 concerts.

Rose Solari shares stories from her Italian-American family background and the inspiration behind poems she wrote in response to the life and work of two 16th- and 17th-century Italians who are central to the concert’s program.

We revisit Victoria M. Muñoz’s November 2025 presentation as part of our Folger Book Club discussion of Álvaro Enrigue’s You Dreamed of Empires.