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Shakespeare & Beyond

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.

Richard III: Taffety Punk's Bootleg Shakespeare
Shakespeare and Beyond

Richard III: Taffety Punk's Bootleg Shakespeare

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Shakespeare & Beyond

Kimberly Gilbert as Richard III. Photo by Brittany Diliberto. Bootleg Shakespeare is not your typical night at the theater: The actors show up on the day of the performance with only their lines memorized; after a few hours of rehearsals,…

Frederick Douglass, A Shakespearean in Washington
Frederick Douglass portrait
Shakespeare and Beyond

Frederick Douglass, A Shakespearean in Washington

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John Muller

Douglass frequently alluded to Shakespeare in his oratory and was known to attend performances of Shakespeare at local Washington theatres.

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

What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in July

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Ben Lauer

Every month, we check in with our theater partners to find out what’s onstage. Here’s what’s happening at Shakespeare theaters in July.

Play On Shakespeare: Reflections from the translation project's festival of staged readings
Play On festival opening
Shakespeare and Beyond

Play On Shakespeare: Reflections from the translation project's festival of staged readings

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Lue Morgan Douthit

Play On Executive Director Lue Douthit gives remarks before the festival’s first staged reading: The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Lue Morgan Douthit first wrote about the Play on! project (of which she is the executive director) on the Shakespeare &…

Outdoor Shakespeare: The pioneers of a summer tradition
Photograph of a woman lounging under a tree
Shakespeare and Beyond

Outdoor Shakespeare: The pioneers of a summer tradition

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Author
Georgianna Ziegler

Shakespeare by the sea, on the river, in the park or garden, on the common – in the summertime Shakespeare’s plays are everywhere outdoors! High-profile shows in New York’s Central Park or at Ashland’s Oregon Shakespeare Festival may come to…

Caliban by the Yellow Sands: Shakespeare and immigrant communities in New York - Excerpt: Here in This Island We Arrived
program
Shakespeare and Beyond

Caliban by the Yellow Sands: Shakespeare and immigrant communities in New York - Excerpt: Here in This Island We Arrived

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Shakespeare & Beyond

Here in This Island We Arrived: Shakespeare and Belonging in Immigrant New York is a 2019 book from Elisabeth H. Kinsley that explores Shakespeare performance in late 19th- and early 20-century Manhattan during a time of profound demographic change, when…

Quiz: Which Shakespearean Item Are You?
Assortment of theatrical props, including a deck of cards, a goblet, masks, fans, and keys.
Shakespeare and Beyond

Quiz: Which Shakespearean Item Are You?

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Author
Ben Lauer

Tell us a bit about yourself, and we’ll tell you which iconic object from a Shakespeare play matches your personality.

Ben Elton’s 'Upstart Crow' and 'All Is True': Shakespeare in different keys
All Is True and Upstart Crow
Shakespeare and Beyond

Ben Elton’s 'Upstart Crow' and 'All Is True': Shakespeare in different keys

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Author
Austin Tichenor

Kenneth Branagh in All Is True and David Mitchell in Upstart Crow. (IMDB) Ben Elton is no stranger to Shakespeare. The British author and actor played Verges alongside Michael Keaton’s Dogberry in Kenneth Branagh’s 1993 film Much Ado About Nothing.…

Play on! Q&A: Aditi Kapil on translating 'Measure for Measure'
At the June 2019 reading of the Measure for Measure translation
Shakespeare and Beyond

Play on! Q&A: Aditi Kapil on translating 'Measure for Measure'

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Shakespeare & Beyond

In choosing which Shakespeare play to translate for the Play on! project, playwright Aditi Brennan Kapil let herself be influenced by dramaturg Liz Engelman, who was attracted to the themes of Measure for Measure and their resonance in today’s world.…

What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in June
The audience waits for the show to start at the amphitheater in Samuall Grand Park, home to Shakespeare Dallas.
Shakespeare and Beyond

What's onstage at Shakespeare theaters in June

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Author
Ben Lauer

Each month, we bring you a snapshot of Shakespeare in performance across America. Find our what the Folger’s theater partners have onstage in June.

Quiz: Shakespeare trivia
Shakespeare and Beyond

Quiz: Shakespeare trivia

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Shakespeare & Beyond

What is Shakespeare’s shortest play? Which female character has the most lines? Test your Shakespeare knowledge with this trivia quiz.

Emma Smith on Falstaff: An excerpt from 'This Is Shakespeare'
This is Shakespeare book cover
Shakespeare and Beyond

Emma Smith on Falstaff: An excerpt from 'This Is Shakespeare'

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Shakespeare & Beyond

Shakespeare scholar Emma Smith takes 20 chapters to discuss 20 different Shakespeare plays in her new book This Is Shakespeare, offering insights on key characters, plot twists, and performance challenges. The excerpt below, which focuses on the character of Falstaff…

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