As we near the end of 2025, we want to share with our audiences a first glimpse at ideas for the upcoming year from a few members of the Folger’s leadership team. As we reflect on the past 18 months — including the completion of our renovations, reopening, and re-imagining how the Folger connects people to Shakespeare — we are excited about the possibilities ahead of us.
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David Kilpatrick, the new Director of Learning and Education Programs, shares about his past experiences and his hopes for creating a larger network of partners for educational programming.
When David Kilpatrick joined the Folger Shakespeare Library as Director of Learning and Education Programs in mid-October, he brought with him nearly two decades of experience shaping arts and education programs that connect learning and creativity for audiences of all ages.
Before joining the Folger, Kilpatrick spent 18 years at the Kennedy Center, helping lead one of the nation’s largest education programs. “For the first eight years, I was the manager of Theater for Young Audiences,” he explains. “We were almost like our own small nonprofit creating programs for families, young people, and schools within the larger performing arts center.” Later, as Senior Director of Education Programs and Productions there, he oversaw a wide array of educational programming—theater, music, and dance education with the opera, orchestra, and ballet; teacher resources; college theater programs and festivals; and the Moonshot Studio, a learning lab for the performing arts. “These experiences gave me a deep understanding of how to design programs that meet learners where they are.”
Designing and building programs
He likens his new role at the Folger to an architect, designing and building educational programs with a deep foundation in the Folger’s previous successes. Kilpatrick is excited to build on his experiences to broaden awareness of the Folger’s extraordinary educational programs and make them accessible to more teachers, students, and lifelong learners. He shares, “I’m thrilled to be in a place that’s a library, a research institution, and a theater all at once. It’s a dream combination.”
His plans include expanding awareness about the new Folger Guides to Teaching Shakespeare and growing professional development opportunities like the Teaching Shakespeare Institute, a long-running summer program that brings teachers together for intensive, hands-on training with renowned Shakespeare scholars and access to rare archival materials related to Shakespeare’s plays.
He also hopes to build partnerships with even more school districts, teacher-preparation programs, and community colleges. As he explains, Shakespeare is already a deep-seated part of the English language arts curriculum, so the educators and opportunities are already there; the task is to connect them with what’s available at the Folger.
David Kilpatrick
Creating partnerships and opportunities
“There are a lot of great community colleges in this area,” he says. “I’d love to create partnerships there. We’d like for teachers who are just starting out in classrooms to already know about the Folger Method, an approach to language-based, student-centered, and interactive learning—and to think of it as part of their teaching toolkit.”
Beyond the traditional classroom, he hopes to widen learning opportunities for all, from family workshops intended for some of the Folger’s youngest visitors to programming for adults, such as the Humanities Lab, which offers a two-day deep dive into a Shakespeare play by drawing connections with the Folger collection and a Folger Theatre production.
Kilpatrick’s approach to education at the Folger is guided by accessibility for all educators and learners. “I see my role as the steward of programs for teachers, students, and lifelong learners,” he says. “I embrace welcoming as many people as possible into the Folger as a holistic and encompassing educational space. Whether you’re a teacher, a student, or someone who just loves Shakespeare, I want you to feel like there’s something here for you.”
Your support makes our work possible. Please donate to ensure the Folger can continue to create educational programming around Shakespeare and the humanities.