Program Description
The Lily McKee High School Fellows Program is a joyful, deep, and rigorous experience for twenty-five high school students from the Washington, DC area. From January 2025 to May 2025, McKee Fellows will immerse themselves in everything the Folger Shakespeare Library has to offer, from researching in the Reading Room to training and serving as docents in the newly opened Shakespeare Exhibition Hall. During the fellowship, students will explore Hamlet and Twelfth Night through the lenses of poetry, performance, and research. The Lily McKee High School Fellowship will culminate in a multidimensional project where fellows will utilize a piece from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s collection as a point of departure for their own creative and intellectual endeavors in the areas of poetry, performance, and research.
Areas of Exploration
Poetry: Led by Teri Cross Davis, an award-winning poet, and Folger Poetry Manager. Sessions surrounding poetry will include seminars, creative writing workshops, and attending poetry readings from the OB Hardison Poetry Series.
Performance: Led by Caleen Sinnette Jennings, the award-winning actor, director, and playwright. Jennings is Professor of Theatre emerita at the American University. Fellows will explore the principles and practices of performing Shakespeare. Additionally, fellows will attend performances of A Room in the Castle and Twelfth Night at the Folger Theatre.
Research: Led by a rotating all-star cast of Folger staff members and scholars. Fellows will explore the unparalleled collection of the Folger Shakespeare Library. These sessions will include everything from fellows conducting their own original research in the Reading Room of the Folger Shakespeare Library to participating in seminar sessions with cutting edge scholars of the Early Modern Period.
Eligibility
High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors from public, parochial, independent, and home schools in the Washington, DC area are all eligible. Applicants should have a strong interest in any or all of the following: literature, museums, libraries, history, drama, the humanities and Shakespeare. Prior knowledge of Shakespeare is not required.
Application
A completed application will include the completed Google Form, a personal statement which may come in the form of either a traditional essay or a video/audio recording, and a recommendation from the sponsoring teacher.
Applications have closed.