First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare – Texas

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 Texas.

Exhibition Location: College Station, Texas

Exhibition Venue: Texas A&M University

Exhibition Dates: March 7, 2016 – April 3, 2016


Partner Organizations:

  • Texas A&M University Libraries
  • Texas A&M Department of English
  • Texas A&M College of Liberal Arts
  • Friends of Sterling C. Evans Library
  • John H. and Sara H. Lindsey Chair in Liberal Arts
  • Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research
  • World Shakespeare Bibliography
  • Texas A&M College of Education
  • Texas A&M GLBT Resource Center
  • Early Modern Studies Working Group
  • Texas A&M Department of Sociology
  • Texas A&M Women’s and Gender Studies Program
  • South Asia Working Group
  • Texas A&M Department of Performance Studies
  • Austin Shakespeare
  • EmilyAnn Theatre
  • Hidden Room Theatre
  • Initiative for Digital Humanities, Media, and Culture
  • J. Wayne Stark Galleries
  • Present Company Theatre
  • Texas A&M Film Studies Program
  • Texas A&M Department of Performance Studies
  • Texas A&M University Libraries


Complementary Exhibition:

  • Within the Book and Volume: Early Modern English Literature at Texas A&M, February 8 – June 4, 2016
Drawing upon the rich resources housed at Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, a full-scale exhibition showcasing Rare and Early Modern collections materials will run throughout and beyond the duration of the First Folio engagement. The exhibit will showcase materials from the same time period as the First Folio and focus on the intellectual developments and the physical process behind bookmaking in the 16th and 17th centuries. The local exhibition will highlight materials containing Shakespearean drama, as well as that of his contemporaries such as John Donne, Ben Jonson, and many others.


Event List:

  • February 20, 2016 – First Folio Teaches Teachers Workshop (First opportunity)
  • March 3,2016 – Alternative Shakespeare Film Series: Korol Lir (Dir. Grigori Kozintsev, Russia, 1971)
  • March 4, 2016 - World Shakespeare Bibliography Redesign Launch
  • March 5, 2016 – Folger Shakespeare Library Teaching Shakespeare Institute: Professional Learning Day
  • March 8, 2016 – Opening Lecture: In Praise of Quartos: Shakespeare’s Early Books featuring Dr. Laura Estill, Texas A&M University
  • March 10, 2016 – Shakespeare on the Big Screen: A Digital Representation by the Initiative for Digital Humanities, Media and Culture
  • March 10, 2016 - TAMU Performance Studies Presents Wittenberg
  • March 11, 2016 – First Folio Teaches Teachers Workshop (Second opportunity)
  • March 15, 2016 – Printing Shakespeare: A Hands-on Book History Learning Day
  • March 21, 2016 – Alternative Shakespeare Film Series: Haider (Dir. Vishal Bhardwaj, India, 2014)
  • March 22, 2016 – The EmilyAnn Theatre Shakesperience for Jr. High and High School Students
  • March 22, 2016 - The EmilyAnn Shakesperience for Elementary Students
  • March 22, 2016 - Lecture Featuring Dr. Douglas S. Bruster, The University of Texas at Austin
  • March 28, 2016 – Austin Shakespeare Presents A Midsummer Night’s Dream
  • March 28, 2016 - Workshop featuring the actors from Austin Shakespeare
  • March 30, 2016 – Closing Lecture: Shakespeare, Equivocation, and 1606 featuring Dr. James S. Shapiro, Columbia University
  • March 31, 2016 – Hidden Room Theatre Workshop: Page to Stage: Turning Scholarship into Practice
  • March 31, 2016 - Hidden Room Theatre Workshop: Shakespeare and Scansion
  • April 1, 2016 - Hidden Room Theatre Presents Der Bestrafte Brudermord, Or Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
  • April 2, 2016 – Present Company Presents Shakespeare’s Hamlet
  • April 7, 2016 – Alternative Shakespeare Film Series: O (Dir. Tim Blake Nelson, US, 2001)
  • April 16, 2016 – Alternative Shakespeare Film Series: Shakespeare Behind Bars (Dir. Hank Rogerson, US, 2005)
  • April 20, 2016 – Alternative Shakespeare Film Series: Were the World Mine (Dir. Tom Gustafson, US, 2008)
  • May 3, 2016 – Alternative Shakespeare Film Series: Chimes at Midnight (Dir. Orson Welles, US, 1966)


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