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.
Into the Vault: Books of the 1620s
Into the Vault: Books of the 1620s
See books from the Folger collection that were printed in European cities in the decade from which the Shakespeare First Folio emerged.
Fri, Jun 21 – Sun, Oct 13, 2024
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
In a violent world, two young people from warring families fall in love. How can they safeguard their future when the systems meant to protect them fail?
October 1 – November 10, 2024
Claudia Rankine & Yesenia Montilla
Claudia Rankine & Yesenia Montilla
The 56th season of the O.B. Hardison Poetry Series opens with Claudia Rankine and Yesenia Montilla reading from work that explores whether “we, the people” have truly established justice for all.
Tues, Oct 15, 2024 at 7:30pm
Folger Salon with Tiffany Bragg, Alex Lewis, Simon Smith, and Jennifer Wu
Folger Salon with Tiffany Bragg, Alex Lewis, Simon Smith, and Jennifer Wu
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.
Thurs, Oct 17 at 4:30pm
Gallery Talk: The History of Printing
Gallery Talk: The History of Printing
Join Interim Director and Librarian and Director of Collections Greg Prickman as he walks visitors through the history of printing objects in the Folger's collection.
Thurs, Oct 17th, 2024 @ 6:30PM
Thou Unknown Power: Embracing Ambiguity in Macbeth
Thou Unknown Power: Embracing Ambiguity in Macbeth
Wednesday, October 23 at 8 pm ET
Mixology: How Alchemy Gave Us Alcohol
Mixology: How Alchemy Gave Us Alcohol
Join the Folger Institute for a fun night of cocktails, trivia, a costume contest, and prizes. Who knows? You might even uncover the secret of immortality.
Fri, Oct 25 Doors at 6pm, Trivia at 7pm
Family Workshop: Something Wicked: Supernatural Shakespeare
Family Workshop: Something Wicked: Supernatural Shakespeare
“Eye of newt and toe of frog!” Families can join the Folger and get spooky with Shakespeare’s ghosts and witches.
Sat, Oct 26, 2024
Tarot, Magic, and the Fairy King with Performance Artist Alexander D'Agostino
Tarot, Magic, and the Fairy King with Performance Artist Alexander D'Agostino
Folger Institute Artist Fellow Alexander D’Agostino uses tarot divination, embodied performance, and an LGBTQ+ lens to converse with the enigmatic grimoire, MS V.b.26.
Fri, Nov 1 Doors at 6pm; Performance at 7pm
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 and Ongoing Exhibitions
Imprints in Time
Imprints in Time
This special exhibition at the Folger features rare books from the collection of Stuart and Mimi Rose that present literary, cultural, and historical high points.
Fri, Jun 21, 2024 – Sun, Jan 5, 2025
Into the Vault: Books of the 1620s
Into the Vault: Books of the 1620s
See books from the Folger collection that were printed in European cities in the decade from which the Shakespeare First Folio emerged.
Fri, Jun 21 – Sun, Oct 13, 2024
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.
Opening Fri, Jun 21, 2024
Talks
Folger Salon with Tiffany Bragg, Alex Lewis, Simon Smith, and Jennifer Wu
Folger Salon with Tiffany Bragg, Alex Lewis, Simon Smith, and Jennifer Wu
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.
Thurs, Oct 17 at 4:30pm
Gallery Talk: The History of Printing
Gallery Talk: The History of Printing
Join Interim Director and Librarian and Director of Collections Greg Prickman as he walks visitors through the history of printing objects in the Folger's collection.
Thurs, Oct 17th, 2024 @ 6:30PM
"Is the day so young?": Gen Z Finds a Seat at the Table
"Is the day so young?": Gen Z Finds a Seat at the Table
This panel session will include representatives from the field and high school/college age students discussing topics around civic participation, mental health and anxiety, and what it means to plan for the future in 2024.
Sat, Nov 2, 2024 at 6pm
Coded Threads: Translating Shakespeare Through Art
Coded Threads: Translating Shakespeare Through Art
Leading Maryland fiber artists, including Folger Institute Artist Fellow Suzanne Coley, will present modern needlework designs inspired by Shakespeare.
Sat, Nov 16 at 11am ET
Folger Salon with Patricia Ann Lott, Suzette Marie Martin, and KhoKhoi (mary alinney villacastin)
Folger Salon with Patricia Ann Lott, Suzette Marie Martin, and KhoKhoi (mary alinney villacastin)
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.
Thurs, Nov 21 at 4:30pm
Virtual Folger Salon with Edel Lamb, Dominick Porras, and Susan Valladares
Virtual Folger Salon with Edel Lamb, Dominick Porras, and Susan Valladares
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.
Fri, Dec 6 at 4pm
Folger Salon with Pablo Miguel Sierra Silva and Ania Upstill
Folger Salon with Pablo Miguel Sierra Silva and Ania Upstill
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.
Thurs, Dec 12 at 4:30pm
Folger Salon with Shaul Bassi, Rob Clines, and Sylvia Korman
Folger Salon with Shaul Bassi, Rob Clines, and Sylvia Korman
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.
Thurs, Jan 16 at 4:30pm
Folger Salon with Alex Baines and Anandi Rao
Folger Salon with Alex Baines and Anandi Rao
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.
Thurs, Feb 20 at 4:30pm
Folger Theatre 24-25 Season
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
In a violent world, two young people from warring families fall in love. How can they safeguard their future when the systems meant to protect them fail?
October 1 – November 10, 2024
A Room in the Castle
A Room in the Castle
This retelling of Hamlet from the perspective of the women of the story offers up what it’s like to be on the other end of a wild prince’s antics while delivering a message of defiant hope.
March 4 – April 6, 2025
Creative Conversations:
A Room in the Castle
Creative Conversations:
A Room in the Castle
Creative Conversations:
A Room in the Castle
Creative team members of A Room in the Castle, sit down with Karen Ann Daniels, Artistic Director of Folger Theatre, to discuss the production.
Fri, Mar 7, 2025 at 6:30pm
Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night
A playful interpretation of a beloved Shakespeare comedy that brings gender fluidity, mistaken identities, and what it means to move between worlds into a joyful discovery of love.
May 13 – June 22, 2025
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
For Families
Family Workshop: Something Wicked: Supernatural Shakespeare
Family Workshop: Something Wicked: Supernatural Shakespeare
“Eye of newt and toe of frog!” Families can join the Folger and get spooky with Shakespeare’s ghosts and witches.
Sat, Oct 26, 2024
DIY at the Folger: Letter Writing
DIY at the Folger: Letter Writing
Families will learn the basics of writing with quill and ink and send their own letter, Renaissance-style!
Wed, Nov 06, 2024
Family Workshop: Cram Thee with More Food
Family Workshop: Cram Thee with More Food
Take a bite out of Shakespeare’s words and Elizabethan table manners!
Sat, Nov 16, 2024
Family Workshop: To Be a Shakespearean Actor
Family Workshop: To Be a Shakespearean Actor
Develop your acting skills, 1800’s style!
Join the Folger team as we dive into and try out Elizabethan acting styles. Then, learn about the power of Shakespeare’s words to inspire actors, trends, and riots!
Join the Folger team as we dive into and try out Elizabethan acting styles. Then, learn about the power of Shakespeare’s words to inspire actors, trends, and riots!
Sat, Dec 14, 2024
Folger Consort 24-25 Season
A Mass for Christmas Eve
A Mass for Christmas Eve
Composed in 1694, Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s "Messe de Minuit pour Noel" is based on captivating, folksong-like noels steeped in the composer’s characteristic balance of irresistible dance rhythms and sophisticated harmonies. The Consort will complement Charpentier’s Mass with haunting English "Balulalows" for voices set amid joyful instrumental concertos by Italian baroque masters.
December 6 – 15, 2024
The Love Birds
The Love Birds
Geoffrey Chaucer’s charming and trenchant A Parlement of Foules contains the first reference to St. Valentine as patron saint of lovers. The 14th-century poet's vision of avian politics will be interspersed with bracing and intricate music of his times from England and France, perfectly mirrored by the newly-composed music of composer Juri Seo.
February 14 – 16, 2025
Kings and Commonwealth
Kings and Commonwealth
The music from the court of King James I reflects the political and religious upheavals in early seventeenth century England. The Folger Consort will perform political ballads of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot, along with instrumental music from both James’ and Charles I’s courts and swaggering and silly political songs from Thomas D’Urfey’s Pills to Purge Melancholy.
May 2 – 4, 2025
Folger Book Club
Folger Book Club:
Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma
Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma
Folger Book Club: Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma
Our November book club selection is a contemporary romance adaptation of Taming of the Shrew set in a New Jersey South Asian community.
Thu, Nov 7, 2024, 6:30pm
Folger Book Club:
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Folger Book Club: The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Set in late 16th-century Spain, our December selection features a high stakes magical contest in a lush early modern setting.
Thu, Dec 5, 2024, 6:30pm
O.B. Harrison Poetry 24-25 Season
Claudia Rankine & Yesenia Montilla
Claudia Rankine & Yesenia Montilla
The 56th season of the O.B. Hardison Poetry Series opens with Claudia Rankine and Yesenia Montilla reading from work that explores whether “we, the people” have truly established justice for all.
Tues, Oct 15, 2024 at 7:30pm
Letras Latinas celebrates 20 years
Letras Latinas celebrates 20 years
The second reading of the season celebrates twenty years of Letras Latinas, the literary initiative at the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Poets Blas Falconer, Valerie Martínez, and Dan Vera will read from their work with a moderated conversation following the reading.
Tues, Nov 12, 2024 at 7:30pm
Disability Poetics with Camisha Jones and torrin a. greathouse
Disability Poetics with Camisha Jones and torrin a. greathouse
Folger Poetry continues its exploration of 'Whose Democracy?' with readings by poets torrin a. greathouse and Camisha L. Jones whose present works probe the erasure of disabled voices.
Tues, Feb 25, 2025 at 7:30pm
2025 Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize with Paul Muldoon
2025 Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize with Paul Muldoon
The O.B. Hardison Poetry Series and co-sponsor The Waywiser Press celebrate the 19th winner of the Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize with this year’s prize judge, acclaimed Irish poet, critic, playwright, and translator Paul Muldoon, who will read with the winning poet.
Tues, Mar 11, 2025 at 7:30pm
The O.B. Hardison Poetry Series Finale Reading Ellen Bass
The O.B. Hardison Poetry Series Finale Reading Ellen Bass
Ellen Bass, chosen by a group of Folger Poetry supporters, will read from the work of other poets cited as a literary influence, as well as from her own work. A moderated conversation will follow the reading, with a bookselling and signing at the post-reading reception.
Tues, Apr 8, 2025 at 7:30pm
Subscribe to the 2024-2025 season
Subscriptions are now on sale for the 2024-2025 season, “Whose Democracy?” Explore our subscription packages for Folger Theatre, Folger Consort, and the O.B. Hardison Poetry Series.
Ticket information
Contact the Folger Box Office at (202) 544-7077 or folgerboxoffice@folger.edu.
