First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare - Connecticut

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 Connecticut.

Exhibition Location: Storrs, Connecticut

Exhibition Venue: University of Connecticut

Exhibition Dates: September 2, 2016 – September 25, 2016


Partner Organizations:

  • UConn School of Fine Arts
  • UConn College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Connecticut Repertory Theatre
  • UConn Humanities Institute
  • The Benton Museum of Art
  • CT Public Broadcasting Network
  • Ballard Museum and Institute of Puppetry
  • Mansfield Downtown Partnership
  • Mansfield Public Library
  • Little Theatre of Manchester
  • Connecticut Theatre Company
  • CT Humanities


Complementary Exhibitions:

  • The Culture of Shakespeare - September 1-25, 2016
    • Exhibition featuring costume pieces, props and photography from the University of Connecticut and Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s extensive archive of performances
  • Shakespeare Poster Exhibition - September 1-25, 2016
    • Display of posters made by the UConn Design Center Studio


Event List:

  • September 9, 2016 – Public Reading of Macbeth by Connecticut Theatre Company
  • September 9, 2016 - Player, Author, Imposter? Graduate Student Panel Paper Presentation
  • September 10 – 11, 2016 – Workshops at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry for Families and Students to build Bread & Puppet-style Shakespearian puppets for Celebrate Mansfield Day
  • September 10, 2016 – The First Folio Teachers: Shakespeare’s Text Demystified
  • September 14, 2016 – Transcriptathon: Folger manuscript online
  • September 15, 2016 – Lecture by Dr. David Alan Stern, The Sound of the Folio: Shakespeare’s Original Pronunciation
  • September 15, 2016 - First Folio Film Series -Julie Taymor's Titus (1999) based on Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus
  • September 16, 2016 – El Beto, an original hand-puppet adaptation of Macbeth set against the Mexican Drug Cartels, featuring Spanish-English performances
  • September 17, 2016 – Words, Words, Words! Fun with Shakespeare Family Workshop
  • September 17, 2016 - The First Folio Teachers: Shakespeare’s Text Demystified
  • September 18, 2016 – Celebrate Mansfield Day - parade, sonnet slam, dance demonstrations, and guided tours of an antique printing press
  • September 21, 2016 – Playing with Gender: A Celebration of Shakespearian Acting
  • September 23, 2016 – Presentation by Eric Rice of the UConn Collegium Musicum, Shakespeare’s Songbook and Tallis’s Spem in alium
  • September 29, 2016 – First Folio Film Series -Akira Kurosawa's Ran (1985) based on Shakespeare's King Lear
  • October 6-16, 2016 –Performance of King Lear by The Connecticut Repertory Theatre


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