Transform the way you teach Shakespeare with the Folger Method — a language- and performance-based way of learning by doing.
Work with incredible Folger Mentor Teachers, scholars, and theater professionals as you dive into rare books, cutting-edge research, and powerful performance practices.
This is high-impact professional learning that connects the early modern period to your classroom in 2025.
Dates and Location
When: July 7–12, 2025
Where: Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC
Interest Form Deadline: June 13
Tuition: $1,500
Questions: education@folger.edu
Program description
Transform the way you teach Macbeth, Shakespeare, or any complex text with the Folger Method. You’ll be amazed by what your students can do when you get them out of their seats and into the text. These high-energy and high-impact sessions will be led by talented and experienced Folger Mentor Teachers, Deborah Gascon and Amber Phelps.
Conduct your own research in the Folger Shakespeare Library’s Reading Room. You’ll explore treasures from the Folger Collection and discover ways to incorporate primary sources into your own classroom. You’ll team up with the Folger’s Collections staff to bring the 17th century into your 21st-century classroom in vivid, meaningful ways, and you will have the opportunity to conduct your own research in the Folger Shakespeare Library’s Reading Room.
Learn with scholars of the Early Modern period. You’ll deepen your knowledge with the latest scholarship and nourish your brain with scintillating lectures and deep Q&A sessions. You’ll learn with scholars like Dr. Holly Dugan from George Washington University and the Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library, Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper.
Dive into the power of Shakespeare in performance. You’ll learn from a working practitioner about embodying Shakespeare’s language and helpful tricks for working with students on putting Shakespeare into action. You’ll work with Fatima Quander, a working theater practitioner and lecturer at the University of Maryland, on how performance can make all the pieces fit in your classroom.
Katherine Dvorak
Dr. Deborah Gascon
Dr. Deborah Gascon is a National Board Certified teacher who teaches English and Journalism in Columbia, SC. She also taught English in Romania on a Fulbright Teacher Exchange. Deborah is a 2012 Teaching Shakespeare Institute alum and a Folger Summer Academy mentor teacher. Her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction is from The University of South Carolina; her dissertation is about the teaching of Shakespeare to increase student comprehension, empathy, and awareness of gender and race issues. When she isn’t teaching, she loves to attend her weekly tap dance class, play tennis, travel to new places, and dig in the dirt. Deborah is also a contributor to the upcoming The Folger Guides to Teaching Shakespeare.
Amber Phelps
Amber Phelps teaches in both the International Baccalaureate English Literature HL and AP Literature programs in Baltimore, MD at Baltimore City College. She is an alum of both Teach for America and the Folger Shakespeare Library’s 2012 Teaching Shakespeare Institute. Amber is a contributor to The Folger Guide to Teaching Romeo and Juliet.
Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper
Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper was appointed as Director of the Folger Shakespeare Library in October 2024. She is the eighth director of the nearly century-old institution, which is home to the largest collection of Shakespeare’s works in the world.
Holly Dugan
Holly Dugan is the Interim Program Head of the Corcoran Theatre and Dance Program and an Associate Professor of English at The George Washington University. Her research focuses on early modern English literature and culture, especially histories of the senses, embodiment, sexuality, and gender. She is the author of The Ephemeral History of Perfume: Scent and Sense in Early Modern England (JHUP, 2011) and co-editor with Karen Raber of the Routledge Handbook of Shakespeare and Animals (Routledge, 2020). She has written numerous articles on sex and gender in early modern literature. She is finishing a book about Shakespeare, performance history, and the senses.
Fatima Quander
Fatima Quander is a Lecturer of Acting for Live Digital Performance in UMD’s School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS). She recently directed A Bicycle Country by Nilo Cruz and The Book Club Play by Karen Zacarías both as TDPS. Other performing and directing credits include: FRESHH Inc. Theatre Company, DC Hip Hop Theatre Festival, Rep Stage, Everyman Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage Education, Theater of the First Amendment, Folger Elizabethan Theatre, Imagination Stage, Discovery Theater, Transformation Theatre, and Howard Community College; she has also performed in house and on tour with The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Fatima also works as a theatre educator with a number of programs throughout the DC area including FRESHH Inc.’s Griot Girls and The Vanguard, Everyman Theatre, Poetry Out Loud, Folger Shakespeare Library’s McKee Fellows and Secondary School Shakespeare Festival, Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, Sitar Arts Center, Jr. Discovery at Georgetown University, and Young Playwrights’ Theater. She is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).
Interest form
All interested teachers should complete the brief interest form below. This helps us get to know you a bit better and understand why you’d like to be part of this year’s Summer Academy. The deadline to submit your interest form is Friday, June 13th at 11:59 pm. How fitting for Macbeth?
Once you submit the form, we’ll follow up within 7-10 business days to let you know whether a spot is available for you. If accepted, you can confirm your place by either paying the full tuition or submitting a deposit of half the total. The remaining balance will be due by July 1, 2025.
Space is limited, so we encourage you to complete the interest form as soon as possible!
Interest Form
Logistics
Who is this program for?
This program is designed for educators who:
- Are eager to sharpen their teaching practice, especially when it comes to Shakespeare.
- Already love teaching Shakespeare—or are ready to grow that love.
- Have sometimes avoided teaching Shakespeare but are now looking for fresh, engaging approaches.
- Get genuinely excited about rare books, archives, and deep dives into historical texts.
- Learn best through active, collaborative experiences—not just lectures, but also workshops and performance.
- Believe in the power of transformative teaching and want their students to feel that spark too.
Do I need prior experience teaching Shakespeare?
No prior experience is required! This program is accessible to all educators, whether you’re new to Shakespeare or a seasoned expert.
What are the housing options?
You are responsible for arranging your own housing during the program. We’re happy to share recommendations for hotels that are conveniently located near the Folger.
What will the days be like at Summer Academy 2025?
All sessions will be held at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.
You can expect long days and a few evenings. Each day will begin at 9:30 a.m. and include a mix of curriculum workshops, performance sessions, research time in the Reading Room, and scholarly lectures with ample time for discussion and Q&A.
Tuition
What is the tuition to attend Summer Academy 2025?
The total tuition for Summer Academy is $1,500.00.
If you are offered a spot in the program, you can confirm your participation by either:
- Paying the full tuition amount, or
- Paying a deposit of $750 (half the tuition), with the remaining balance due by July 1, 2025.
If you need to pay via PO number or need an alternative arrangement due to school or district reimbursement timelines, please contact folgereducation@folger.edu so we can work with you on making the appropriate arrangements.
What is the refund policy?
We know life happens! If plans change, simply notify us in writing by July 1, 2025:
- If you have paid the full tuition, we will refund 50 % of your payment.
- If you have paid only the $750 deposit, we will refund 100 % of that deposit.
Does my tuition include meals?
You are responsible for meals while you’re in DC except for dinners on Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday. Plus, a working lunch on Tuesday.
Are scholarships available?
We’re happy to do our part to help you attend Summer Academy. We have a limited number of scholarships available. Please complete both the interest form and the scholarship application in order to be considered for one. The deadline to complete the scholarship application is June 13th.
We will let you know whether you’ve received a scholarship by June 16th so you can have time to make the necessary arrangements.