SHAKE THE WORLD AND SEE ANEW
OUR 2018/19 SEASON
Macbeth by William Shakespeare adapted and amended by William Davenant with Folger Consort
King John by William Shakespeare
Nell Gwynn by Jessica Swale
Love’s Labor’s Lost by William Shakespeare
hen dramatists were called playmakers rather than playwrights, Shakespeare made a world that transcended time. His plays “seem to coincide with the times in which they are read, published, produced, and discussed,” writes Marjorie Garber. Our coming season vividly illustrates this relevance, with Shakespeare’s King John and Love’s Labor’s Lost; the East Coast premiere of Jessica Swale’s Nell Gwynn, recalling the extraordinary theater of 17thcentury London; and a special production—with Folger Consort—of a Restoration adaptation of Macbeth. In King John, Constance wishes her “tongue were in the thunder’s mouth!/Then with a passion would I shake the world/And rouse from sleep that fell anatomy/Which cannot hear a lady’s feeble voice.” Our 2018/19 season gives her, and others, their richly deserved thunder.
Janet Alexander Griffin Artistic Producer
By William Shakespeare Adapted and amended by William Davenant Music by Folger Consort Directed by Robert Richmond Sept 4–23, 2018
LADY MACBETH:
Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it.
estoring a Restoration favorite. The Puritans tore down the Globe and banished theater. Charles II’s return launched the Restoration, but times had changed. Upper-class audiences came just to be seen and called out to actors at will. Plays were performed in pubs, outdoors, and, as we stage ours, within insane asylums. The three witches sing as owls shriek in Davenant’s adaptation of Macbeth, which was the most popular version on the English stage for 70 years.
Louis Butelli
Maurice Jones
Ian Merrill Peakes
Kate Eastwood Norris
Karen Peakes
This production is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts and is part of Performing Restoration Shakespeare, a program of the Arts and Humanities Research Council led by Queen’s University Belfast.
By William Shakespeare Directed by Aaron Posner Oct 23–Dec 2, 2018
KING JOHN:
Why, what a madcap hath heaven lent us here! QUEEN ELEANOR:
He hath a trick of Coeur de Lion’s face; The accent of his tongue affecteth him. Do you not read some tokens of my son In the large composition of this man? KING JOHN:
Mine eye hath well examinèd his parts And finds them perfect Richard.
ow do you cement your legitimate power as King of England when your older brother (Richard the Lionheart) is a legend, his bastard son Philip is more charismatic than you’ll ever be, the French are laying claim to your throne, and there’s the small matter of a meddlesome Pope? You go to war, naturally. Shakespeare took his audience back to the time of the Magna Carta perhaps to comment on the politics of his own day. The toxic mix of ambition and indecision in King John that upends his world lands us on our own doorstep today. “Mad world, mad kings…!”
Akeem Davis
Kate Eastwood Norris
Sasha Olinick
Holly Twyford
LEARN ABOUT POLITICS OF ANOTHER ERA in Churchill’s Shakespeare, a Folger exhibition in the Great Hall, Oct 6, 2018–Jan 6, 2019.
By Jessica Swale Directed by Robert Richmond Jan 29–Mar 10, 2019
KYNASTON:
What’s the matter? I’ll tell you what’s the matter. They’ve disgraced our trade. Ruined our art… they have… KILLIGREW:
They’ve put a woman on the stage.
ndeed. At the dawn of women playing women’s roles (and packing the house as much for what they might expose as for their performances), Nell Gwynn bursts from the lower class to attract a king, surpass mere notoriety to excel at her craft, and stay true to herself. From backstage wardrobe wenches to struggling playwrights the likes of John Dryden, this sparkling comedy by one of England’s most successful new writers is a love letter to the theater. Jessica Swale’s play, commissioned by Shakespeare’s Globe, won a 2016 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy.
Gemma Arterton and cast of Nell Gwynn at West End’s Apollo Theatre in London, 2016. Photo by Tristram Kenton.
IN CONJUNCTION WITH Before Farm to Table: Early Modern Foodways and Cultures, a Mellon Initiative in Collaborative Research.
By William Shakespeare Directed by Vivienne Benesch Apr 30–Jun 9, 2019
KING:
If you are armed to do as sworn to do, Subscribe to your deep oaths, and keep it too. LONGAVILLE:
I am resolved. ’Tis but a three years’ fast. The mind shall banquet though the body pine. … BEROWNE:
So much, dear liege, I have already sworn… O, these are barren tasks, too hard to keep, Not to see ladies, study, fast, not sleep.
king decrees his court will be “a little academe/ Still and contemplative in living art.” But he did not account for women’s charms. When the Princess of France arrives on a state visit, the King of Navarre insists she and her ladies camp outside the court. To no avail—one by one, each young man falls for a young woman. But how can they proclaim their love without renouncing their dedication to a life of the mind? Hidden identities, secret surrogates, and, of course, misdelivered letters all converge at the masque, when the fellows come clean. However, the ladies have a surprise ending of their own.
Megan Graves
Richard R. Henry
Antionette Robinson
experience
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To join as a member—and enjoy and support all the Folger has to offer—visit folger.edu/give. Please designate Folger Theatre for your support.
For full schedule and ticket information, visit folger.edu/theatre Antony and Cleopatra, 2017. Photo by Teresa Wood
Opportunities no other theater can provide More than simply a terrific venue, we’re part of a vibrant center for Shakespeare and his time. We encourage everyone to join us in spirited, informal, and frequent dialogues before and after the shows, often accompanied by light fare and drink. Subscribers receive discounted ticket pricing and invitations to attend some events at no cost. For full schedule and ticket information, visit folger.edu/theatre. PRE-SHOW, POST-SHOW, AND ANYTIME DIVERSIONS
Director Talks. Insights into the creative process from those who’ve shaped the production. Post-Show Discussions. Stay longer and meet the cast. Moderated by our Resident Dramaturg Michele Osherow. Pre-show talks with Folger Library Director Michael Witmore. A look at the plays with a renowned Shakespeare scholar. Folger Fridays. A variety of free pre-show events on select Fridays. Brews and Banter. Join cast members for lively discussion, craft beer, and snacks before select performances.
VISIT OUR GREAT HALL
Oct 6, 2018–Jan 6, 2019 Churchill’s Shakespeare, an exhibition which traces Shakespeare’s influence on Churchill’s speeches and ideas. Jan 19–Mar 31, 2019 An exhibition in conjunction with the Mellon initiative, Before Farm to Table: Early Modern Foodways and Cultures. REVISIT A GREAT LINE
Performance makes worlds come alive, but if you’d like to read a play before or after attending, the complete Folger Shakespeare editions are online and searchable at folgerdigitaltexts.org. Above: Peter Marks & Eric Tucker, 2018. Photo by Mig Dooley. Below: The Folger’s Great Hall. Photo by Lloyd Wolf.
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Our 250-seat theater, sitting alongside the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare materials, is exceedingly intimate. Our influence and daring are expansive: 30 Helen Hayes Awards (including Outstanding Play four times in the past ten years) and 147 nominations. MAKE A NIGHT OF IT BETTER YET, MAKE IT FOUR NIGHTS
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Macbeth King John Nell Gwynn Love’s Labor’s Lost
Pericles, 2015. Photo by Teresa Wood.
Single tickets will go on sale August 1
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