What's on
There’s something for everyone. From theater and music, to poetry and exhibitions, experience the power of the arts with us.
Upcoming events
Join us for in-person and virtual events: theater, poetry, music, and more.
Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night
Viola washes up on the shore after losing her twin brother in a shipwreck. In disguise as her twin brother, she lands in the world of Duke Orsino.
Tue, May 13 – Sun, Jun 22, 2025
Folger Salon with Mark Bland, Zainab Cheema, and Kate Doubler
Folger Salon with Mark Bland, Zainab Cheema, and Kate Doubler
Learn about research happening at the Folger in real time! Each month, Folger Institute scholar and artist fellows will share their most exciting finds and thought-provoking challenges, followed by casual open conversation.
Thu, May 15, 2025 at 4:30pm
Creative Conversations: Twelfth Night
Creative Conversations: Twelfth Night
Creative team members of Twelfth Night, sit down with Karen Ann Daniels, Artistic Director of Folger Theatre, to discuss the production.
Fri, May 16, 2025 at 6:30pm
How to Be a Power Player: Tudor Edition
How to Be a Power Player: Tudor Edition
Social climbing was a competitive sport in Tudor England, requiring a complex range of skills, strategies, and techniques. This exhibition explores what it takes to become an early modern mover and shaker.
Through July 2025
DC, I Love You: First Dates
DC, I Love You: First Dates
Join us in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood for an immersive experience that centers real love stories from the community.
May 24 – Jun 1, 2025
Queer Dramaturgy with Alexa Alice Joubin
Queer Dramaturgy with Alexa Alice Joubin
Join Professor Alexa Alice Joubin for a workshop on queer dramaturgy before seeing the Folger Theatre production of Twelfth Night.
Fri, May 30, 2025, 6:30pm
Limited Tickets
Folger Book Club: 'Queen B' by Juno Dawson
Folger Book Club: 'Queen B' by Juno Dawson
Our June 2025 selection sets the stage for 'Her Majesty's Royal Coven' trilogy, tracing the origins of the coven to the days following Anne Boleyn's execution.
Thu, Jun 5, 2025, 6:30pm
Folger Salon with Maria Canon, Amy Cooper, and Carrington OBrion
Folger Salon with Maria Canon, Amy Cooper, and Carrington OBrion
Learn about research happening at the Folger in real time! Each month, Folger Institute scholar and artist fellows will share their most exciting finds and thought-provoking challenges, followed by casual open conversation.
Thu, Jun 12, 2025 at 4:30pm
Folger Theatre subscriptions
Look ahead to next season
Folger Theatre’s 2025-2026 season includes three exceptional plays telling stories of struggle and power, love and romance, and personal journeys. Subscribe now to lock in great seats at a low price and enjoy subscriber benefits.
DC, I Love You
Enjoy short plays inspired by real love stories, staged throughout the community businesses and neighborhoods where the events would actually take place. Each new location will reveal another scene in the journey of the play. Discover love, art, and community in a way that’s uniquely DC.
DC, I Love You: First Dates
DC, I Love You: First Dates
Join us in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood for an immersive experience that centers real love stories from the community.
May 24 – Jun 1, 2025
DC, I Love You: Ready or Not
DC, I Love You: Ready or Not
Join us at the Folger for an immersive experience that centers real love stories from the community.
June 14 – Jun 22, 2025
Exhibition halls
Exhibitions
Explore our world-class collection and enjoy interactive experiences created for visitors of all ages and stages.
- Our Shakespeare Exhibition Hall is devoted to the works of William Shakespeare then and there, here and now — including for the first time a display of all 82 copies of the Folger’s First Folios; and
- In our Stuart and Mimi Rose Rare Book and Manuscript Exhibition Hall, you’ll discover exhibits of significant collection items that inspire the Folger’s work, deep dives into our vault, and special exhibitions.
Current exhibitions
Shakespeare Exhibition
Our Shakespeare Exhibition
See the Folger First Folios, learn more about Shakespeare and his plays, and explore the complexities of his cultural legacy.
Ongoing
Out of the Vault: Into the Heart of the Folger
Out of the Vault
Encounter remarkable books and manuscripts that connect with the multifaceted work of the Folger in this ongoing exhibition.
Ongoing
How to Be a Power Player: Tudor Edition
How to Be a Power Player: Tudor Edition
Social climbing was a competitive sport in Tudor England, requiring a complex range of skills, strategies, and techniques. This exhibition explores what it takes to become an early modern mover and shaker.
Through July 2025
Family Programs
DIY at the Folger: The Tudor Ruff
DIY at the Folger: The Tudor Ruff
Create and model the fashionable accessory that is the ruff! Join us for this free activity inspired by our temporary exhibition, “How to Be a Power Player: Tudor Edition."
Wed, Jun 18, 2025, 11:30am
Public Humanities
Our Public Humanities program at the Folger brings together researchers and anyone with an interest in the early modern world to explore the cultures and legacies of that time. Learn about research happening at the Folger in real time, and enjoy cocktails inspired by the Folger’s rich collection of handwritten recipe books from early modern Britain—the largest in the world.
Folger Salon with Mark Bland, Zainab Cheema, and Kate Doubler
Folger Salon with Mark Bland, Zainab Cheema, and Kate Doubler
Learn about research happening at the Folger in real time! Each month, Folger Institute scholar and artist fellows will share their most exciting finds and thought-provoking challenges, followed by casual open conversation.
Thu, May 15, 2025 at 4:30pm
Queer Dramaturgy with Alexa Alice Joubin
Queer Dramaturgy with Alexa Alice Joubin
Join Professor Alexa Alice Joubin for a workshop on queer dramaturgy before seeing the Folger Theatre production of Twelfth Night.
Fri, May 30, 2025, 6:30pm
Limited Tickets
Folger Salon with Maria Canon, Amy Cooper, and Carrington OBrion
Folger Salon with Maria Canon, Amy Cooper, and Carrington OBrion
Learn about research happening at the Folger in real time! Each month, Folger Institute scholar and artist fellows will share their most exciting finds and thought-provoking challenges, followed by casual open conversation.
Thu, Jun 12, 2025 at 4:30pm
Ticket information
Contact the Folger Box Office at (202) 544-7077 or folgerboxoffice@folger.edu.
