First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare - Florida

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 Florida.

Exhibition Location: Miami, FL

Exhibition Venue: The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum

Exhibition Dates: February 2, 2016 – February 28, 2016


Partner Organizations:

  • Florida International University's Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum
  • College of Arts, Sciences & Education
  • FIU Libraries
  • Miami-Dade-Monroe Branch of The English-Speaking Union
  • Betsy South Beach
  • BritWeek
  • Miami Dade Public Schools


Complementary Exhibitions:

  • February 1 – 29, 2016 – I -CAVE virtual reality — Full immersion experience of Shakespeare's London c.1598
The First Folio: The Globe Theater Experience is an interactive digital narrative that brings Shakespeare’s London to life. Using FIU’s ICAVE, this stylized representation of Early Modern London creates a virtual reality experience of what it may have been like to see a play at The Globe Theater. Participants will step into the shoes of a Spanish merchant who is making his way to see a showing of Shakespeare’s Henry V. Along the way, they will experience the chaos of the area around The Globe, as well as learn what it was really like to see a play at the iconic theater in 1598.
  • February 1 – March 5, 2016 - Folio Facsimiles exhibit at Green Library
The gallery at the Green Library will be holding a “Shakespeare Exhibition,” showcasing the holdings of Special Collections in regards to Shakespeare: included will be various editions of the works of the Bard, along with illustrations and facsimiles. In addition there will be an exhibit of rare books published around the time of Shakespeare.
Concurrently, the University Archives and FIU’s Theatre Department will be showcasing memorabilia related to performances of Shakespeare’s plays: photographs, playbills, posters, costume designs and costumes.


Event List:

  • February 1, 2016 – Hot Pepper Shakespeare
  • February 2, 2016 – First Folio! Opening Day
  • February 2, 2016 – Panel discussion on Book as Artifact with Professor Heather Blatt, Althea (Vicki) Silvera, Head of Special Collections, and Professor Jennifer Low
  • February 3, 2016 – Film screening: Much Ado About Nothing (2012)
  • February 4, 2016 – Open Mic Night, Shakespeare Meets Hip-Hop
  • February 8, 2016 – Lecture: Shakespeare and the Nature of Exile by Professor James Sutton
  • February 9, 2016 – Lecture: From Pedestal to Ditch: Violence Against Women in Shakespeare’s Othello by Professor Emerita Sara Deats
  • February 10, 2016 – The Spirit of Shakespeare at BBC
  • February 10, 2016 - Film screening: Coriolanus (2011)
  • February 11, 2016 – Lecture: Shakespeare, The Plague and Disease by Professor Aileen Marty
  • February 12, 2016 – Lecture: Getting by with a little help from his friends: Shylock's Lawyers down through the centuries by Richard H. Weisberg
  • February 15 -16, 2016 – Academic Symposium, “Shakespeare Across the Divide”
  • February 15, 2016 – Lecture: Shakespeare and Cervantes by Professor Roland Greene
  • February 15, 2016 - Shakespeare, Music and Love, a performance by musician Peter Rogen
  • February 16 - 17, 2016 – Seminar on Shakespeare and Race with Ayanna Thompson
  • February 17 – 27, 2016 – As You Like It, performed by the University of Miami Department of Theatre Arts at the University of Miami Ring Theatre
  • February 17, 2016 – Seminar on Cervantes and Quixote in Miami with Professor Roland Greene
  • February 17, 2016 – Lecture: Shakespeare’s Latinidad: Or, Why Read a Renaissance Playwright in 21st-Century Miami? by Professor Roland Greene
  • February 17, 2016 - Film screening: Love’s Labour Lost (2000)
  • February 18, 2016 – Panel discussion: Teaching the Classics at FIU
  • February 19, 2016 – John Blow’s Venus & Adonis, a collaborative opera-theatre production between the FIU School of Music and Dept. of Theatre
  • February 20, 2016 – Folio Family Day
  • February 21, 2016 - John Blow’s Venus & Adonis, a collaborative opera-theatre production between the FIU School of Music and Dept. of Theatre
  • February 22, 2016 - John Blow’s Venus & Adonis, a collaborative opera-theatre production between the FIU School of Music and Dept. of Theatre
  • February 23, 2016 – Performance by The Improvised Shakespeare Co.
  • February 24, 2016 – Author talk, Andrea Mays on The Millionaire & The Bard
  • February 24, 2016 – Performance by The Improvised Shakespeare Co.
  • February 25, 2016 - Author talk, Andrea Mays on The Millionaire & The Bard
  • February 25, 2016 – Performance of Gravedigger's Tale by Folger Theatre
  • February 25, 2016 - 33rd Annual National Shakespeare Competition sponsored by The English-Speaking Union of the United States
  • February 25, 2016 - Shakespeare in Love concert by The Philadelphia Orchestra
  • February 26, 2016 - Performance of Gravedigger's Tale by Folger Theatre
  • February 27, 2016 – First Folio Closing Day Festival
  • March 18— April 10, 2016 - A Midsummer Night's Dream performed by the Miami City Ballet
  • April 8—17, 2016 - Two Gentlemen of Verona performed by the FIU Department of Theatre
  • April 15, 2016 - John Blow’s Venus and Adonis, a collaborative opera-theatre production between the FIU School of Music and Dept. of Theatre
  • April 22, 2016 - FIU celebrates Shakespeare's birthday: Shakespeare and Cervantes Timeless Commentators on the Human Condition


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