First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare – Maine

First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare was a touring exhibition from the Folger Shakespeare Library that visited one location in all 50 United States, Puerto Rico, and Washington DC in 2016 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.


This article provides highlights from the exhibition’s visit to Maine.

Exhibition Location: Portland, Maine

Exhibition Venue: Portland Public Library

Exhibition Dates: March 4, 2016 – April 2, 2016


Partner Organizations:

  • Maine Humanities Council
  • University of Southern Maine Library
  • Theater at Monmouth
  • STAGES The Performing Arts Academy for Kids
  • Portland Stage's Middle School Conservatory
  • Portland High School Shakespeare Club
  • Music's Quill


Event List:

  • March 4, 2016 - Festive First Friday Kick-off with fencing demonstrations and atrium Pop-Up Hamlet Performances by PortFringe
  • March 8, 2016 – Film screening, Rosencrantz and Guilderstern Are Dead
  • March 9, 2016 – Lecture: Looking for Hamlet by Benjamin Bertram and Ron Botting
  • March 10, 2016 - Shakespeare Monologues: For Kids/By Kids
  • March 10, 2016 - Thursdays with the Bard Book Discussion Series: Much Ado About Nothing
  • March 12, 2016 - Art Workshop with Nantz Comyns: “Mythical and Magical Creatures from A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
  • March 14, 2016 – Film screening, Deliver Us From Eva
  • March 16, 2016 - British Tea Party for Teens
  • March 16, 2016 - First Folio Shakespeare Slam!
  • March 17, 2016 - Thursdays with the Bard Book Discussion Series: Hamlet
  • March 17, 2016 - Shakespeare and Film: Panel Discussion
  • March 18, 2016 - Romeo and Juliet: Performance by STAGES— The Performing Arts Academy for Kids
  • March 19, 2016 - Romeo and Juliet: Performance by STAGES
  • March 19, 2016 - Shakespeariment: Interactive Workshop for Children
  • March 22, 2016 - Much Ado About Nothing: Performance by Portland High School Shakespeare Club
  • March 23, 2016 – Film screening, Othello
  • March 24, 2016 - Thursdays with the Bard Book Discussion Series: Twelfth Night
  • March 24, 2016 - The Lunatic, The Lover, and the Poet: Performance by Portland Stage’s Middle School Conservatory
  • March 25, 2016 - Henry V: Performance by Theater at Monmouth
  • March 26, 2016 – Film screening, Hamlet
  • March 26, 2016 - Shakespeariment: Interactive Workshop for Children
  • March 28, 2016 - Conjuring Bodies: The Physical Poetics of Lady Macbeth and Puck Performance by Ziggurat Theatre
  • March 29, 2016 – Film screening, Macbeth
  • March 31, 2016 - The Instruments of Shakespeare—Early Lute Music: Performance by Music’s Quill
  • March 31, 2016 - Scholar Talk: Finding Shakespeare in the First Folio presented by Aaron Kitch
  • March 31, 2016 - Thursdays with the Bard Book Discussion Series: King Lear
  • April 1, 2016 – First Friday Bard Birthday!
  • April 2, 2016 - Final Day to view First Folio Exhibit
  • April 2, 2016 - Public Lecture: Learning from the First Folio presented by Richard Brucher


Click here to learn about the First Folio that visited Maine.