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Shakespeare & Beyond

The Shakespeare & Beyond blog features a wide range of Shakespeare-related topics: the early modern period in which he lived, the ways his plays have been interpreted and staged over the past four centuries, the enduring power of his characters and language, and more.

The space between Julius Caesar and Malcolm X
Shakespeare and Beyond

The space between Julius Caesar and Malcolm X

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Al Letson’s play Julius X acts as a sort of Venn diagram that allows us to twice witness a familiar text (Julius Caesar), with a harsh and violent moment of American history that marked a significant contest waged by Black Americans for freedom and equality.

Imagining Shakespeare and Marlowe as collaborators
Shakespeare and Beyond

Imagining Shakespeare and Marlowe as collaborators

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Following the extraordinary success of Tamburlaine, might the theatrical impresario Philip Henslowe have brought Marlowe together with Shakespeare to write about the Wars of the Roses? An excerpt from Dark Renaissance by Stephen Greenblatt.

Shakespeare in the news
Shakespeare and Beyond

Shakespeare in the news

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Author
Shakespeare & Beyond

A round-up of stories about Shakespeare in the news this month—a September issue of our own—with discoveries about miniature portraits, Emma Smith’s webinar series, reading recs for kids, and ad parodies from Improvised Shakespeare.

The Improvised Shakespeare Company
Shakespeare and Beyond

The Improvised Shakespeare Company

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Author
Austin Tichenor

The Improvised Shakespeare Company has been creating hilarious Shakespearean masterpieces—from an audience suggestion of a title of a show that has never been written—for 20 years. Austin Tichenor shares how they do it.

Bilingual Shakespeares
Shakespeare and Beyond

Bilingual Shakespeares

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Author
Carla Della Gatta

Carla Della Gatta looks at the extraordinary mix of Latinx-inspired productions and adaptations performed on stages, large and small, across the United States.

Julius Caesar meets Julius X
Shakespeare and Beyond

Julius Caesar meets Julius X

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Author
Johnna Champion

Discover books, costume sketches, and theatrical props for Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in the Folger collection along with items from Folger Theatre’s production of Al Letson’s Julius X: A Re-envisioning of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. 

The Forgotten Women Who Saved the Bawdy Bard
Shakespeare and Beyond

The Forgotten Women Who Saved the Bawdy Bard

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Author
Shakespeare & Beyond

A century after Shakespeare’s death, the Shakespeare Ladies Club ensured his original plays were not forgotten. The quarter discussed his plays, convinced theaters to produce them, and even campaigned for his statue in Westminster Abbey.

Quiz: How much do you know about "Julius Caesar"?
Shakespeare and Beyond

Quiz: How much do you know about "Julius Caesar"?

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Author
Esther Ferington

Challenge yourself with this new quiz about Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar.

What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in September
Shakespeare and Beyond

What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in September

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Author
Shakespeare & Beyond

Check out what’s playing at our Shakespeare theater partners this September.

Twelfth Night indoors and out
Shakespeare and Beyond

Twelfth Night indoors and out

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Author
Simon Smith

Scholar Simon Smith explores Twelfth Night’s rich history on indoor and outdoor stages, asking how different spaces shape the play’s performance possibilities.

Folger Finds: Women and Shakespeare
Shakespeare and Beyond

Folger Finds: Women and Shakespeare

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Author
Johnna Champion

Explore First Folios owned by two 17th-century women, a prop dagger used by a leading actress of the late 19th century, and scripts and programs from a 20th-century women’s theater in Japan that’s still performing Shakespeare today.

Becoming Shakespeare’s Richard III
Shakespeare and Beyond

Becoming Shakespeare’s Richard III

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In an excerpt from Siobhan Keenan’s new biography of actor Richard Burbage, we look at his rise to fame as Shakespeare’s Richard III.

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