Skip to main content
Back to What's on

Free Events

The Folger offers a wide range of free events for audiences of all ages, including our monthly book club discussions and our annual celebration of Shakespeare’s birthday.
Pass the Story On: Shakespeare’s First Folio at 400
Two children looking at an open First Folio in an exhibition case

Pass the Story On: Shakespeare’s First Folio at 400

Come see a First Folio — the book that gave us Shakespeare — and explore how some stories are preserved while others are lost.
Sat, Apr 01 — Sun, Apr 30, 2023
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
The Bard, the Griot, and the Hip Hop Tradition
Black man speaking into a microphone

The Bard, the Griot, and the Hip Hop Tradition

Actor, writer, and musician Malik Work leads this interactive workshop designed to unveil the tools of theater and storytelling.
Sat, Apr 01 — Thu, Apr 06, 2023
Multiple venues
Words! Words! Words!

Words! Words! Words!

Get ready to shout, whisper, and laugh as you play with compliments and insults from the worlds of Shakespeare, Go-Go, and punk in this fun workshop for individuals and families of all ages and stages.
Sat, April 1, 2023, 12pm
MLK Jr Memorial Library
Our Verse in Time to Come @ DC Public Library

Our Verse in Time to Come @ DC Public Library

Inspired by the works and words of Shakespeare, this new Folger-commissioned play bridges the past with the present through verse, song and memory, and interrogates whose stories remain and whose role it is to ensure they survive.
Sat, Apr 1 — Sun, Apr 23, 2023
Multiple venues
Shakespeare Lightning Round: Malik Work

Shakespeare Lightning Round: Malik Work

Tue, Apr 4, 5 pm ET
Folger Virtual
Tell Your Story: Story-Making Workshop with Artist Evan Keeling

Tell Your Story: Story-Making Workshop with Artist Evan Keeling

Join us for this hands-on workshop where you will learn how to tell your story through comics.
Fri, April 07 - Sat, April 08, 2023
Multiple venues
DC & Me Living Folio Workshop Series - Anacostia

DC & Me Living Folio Workshop Series - Anacostia

DC residents are invited to be a collaborative part of the creative documentation of their community’s biography.
Wed, April 12 — Fri, April 14, 2023
Anacostia Neighborhood Library
DC & Me Living Folio Workshop Series - Mt. Pleasant

DC & Me Living Folio Workshop Series - Mt. Pleasant

DC residents are invited to be a collaborative part of the creative documentation of their community’s biography.
Mon, April 17, 2023
Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood Library
Make-a-Folio

Make-a-Folio

Join us for this hands-on workshop where you will learn more about Shakespeare’s First Folio while creating elements of your own folio.
Mon, April 17, 2023, 4pm
DC & Me Living Folio Workshop Series - MLK Memorial

DC & Me Living Folio Workshop Series - MLK Memorial

DC residents are invited to be a collaborative part of the creative documentation of their community’s biography.
Wed, Apr 19 — Fri, Apr 21, 2023
MLK Memorial
Teacher Conversation with Dr. Ian Smith: Shakespeare and Race

Teacher Conversation with Dr. Ian Smith: Shakespeare and Race

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Ian Smith about his work on Shakespeare and race and why it matters for schools, teachers, and students.
Sat, April 22, 2023, 10am
MLK Memorial
Shakespeare's Birthday Lecture: Ian Smith on "Making Blackness"
Dr. Ian Smith standing in front of a dark gray background, looking into the distance

Shakespeare's Birthday Lecture: Ian Smith on "Making Blackness"

Join us for the Folger Institute’s annual Shakespeare’s Birthday Lecture, with celebrated scholar Dr. Ian Smith (Lafayette College).
Sat, Apr 22, 2023, 5:30pm
DCPL - MLK Memorial
1 2