First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare – South Carolina

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 South Carolina.

Exhibition Location: Columbia, South Carolina

Exhibition Venue: University of South Carolina Libraries

Exhibition Dates: April 11, 2016 – May 1, 2016


Partner Organization:

  • Richland Library
  • Columbia Museum of Art
  • Nickelodeon Theatre
  • University of South Carolina Department of Theatre and Dance
  • South Carolina Shakespeare
  • Columbia Branch English Speaking Union
  • South Carolina Humanities Council


Complementary Exhibitions:

  • Smuggled Shakespeare, April 1-30, 2016
How did Nelson Mandela stay inspired during three decades he spent as a South African political prisoner? The Robben Island Bible – a copy of The Complete Works of Shakespeare disguised as a Bible and smuggled in by a fellow prisoner. Between 1975 and 1978, the volume was passed among 33 of the prisoners – including Mandela – who signed their names and noted the date beside their favorite passages. Learn more about this incredible story and add your name to the Shakespeare passage that most inspires you in a copy of The Complete Works of Shakespeare.


Event List:

  • February 12, 2016 – Shakespeare Bootcamp Professional Development
  • March 12, 2016 – Shakespeare from Stage to Film: She’s the Man
  • March 12, 2016 - Shakespeare from Stage to Film: Warm Bodies
  • March 25, 2016 – Silent Film Screening of Hamlet (1921)
  • March 28 – April 2, 2016 – Shakespeare in the Frame Film-making Camp
  • April 9, 2016 – Shakespeare from Stage to Film: 10 Things I Hate About You
  • April 10, 2016 – Passport to Art: Fit for a Bard
  • April 10, 2016 – Shakespeare from Stage to Film: Love’s Labour’s Lost
  • April 13, 2016 – Great Books Discussion Group
  • April 14, 2016 – Grand Opening Event
  • April 15, 2016 – The Tempest directed by Robert Richmond, and introduced by Stephen Orgel
  • April 15-16, 2016 – Undergraduate/Graduate Student Symposium
  • April 15-23, 2016 – The Tempest by the University of South Carolina Department of Theatre and Dance
  • April 16, 2016 – Pirating Shakespeare
  • April 17, 2016 – Transcribathon
  • April 18, 2016 – 2016 Medieval Manuscript Symposium
  • April 18-21, 2016 – Screening of Chimes at Midnight at The Nickelodeon
  • April 18-21, 2016 – Performance of Merry Wives of Windsor by South Carolina Shakespeare Company
  • April 21-23, 2016 – Gravedigger’s Tale, by Folger Theatre
  • April 23, 2016 – Happy Birthday, Shakespeare! Family Celebration
  • April 23, 2016 – Shakespeare Allowed! for teens and adults
  • April 23, 2016 – Double Feature Theatre: Gravedigger’s Tale and The Tempest
  • April 24, 2016 – A Midsummer Night’s Dream
  • April 27-30, 2016 – The Merry Wives of Windsor, by South Carolina Shakespeare Company
  • April 28, 2016 – Public Lecture on Julie Taymor’s The Tempest by Dr. George Geckle
  • April 30, 2016 – One Nation Under the Bard: Shakespeare Shows Us We Belong, performed by the NiA Company


Click here to learn about the First Folio that visited South Carolina.