The book that brought us Shakespeare is on tour from the Folger Shakespeare Library and will be in Middlebury February 2016.
Beware the Ides of March.
We band of brothers…
Brevity is the soul of wit.
The first people to hear these phrases lived more than 400 years ago when Shakespeare's plays were being performed in London. Those now familiar lines from Julius Caesar, Henry V, and Hamlet—along with nearly all of Shakespeare's plays—are included in the 1623 First Folio.
These famous plays and 15 others by Shakespeare would probably have been lost to us without the First Folio. Published in 1623, it's the first collected edition of Shakespeare's plays, and only 233 copies have survived until today. To mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, the Folger Shakespeare Library is sending a First Folio to every U.S. state, and we are the hosts for Vermont.
Tuesday, February 2–Sunday, February 28
Middlebury College Museum of Art, Overbrook Gallery
“First Folio” is a 50-state tour and exhibit of Shakespeare’s 1623 First Folio, one of the world’s most treasured books. The exhibit will arrive in Vermont as one of the first stops of the exhibit's yearlong nationwide tour. Accompanying the rare First Folio will be a multi-panel exhibition exploring the significance of Shakespeare, then and now, with additional digital content and activities. Visit the Museum at museum.middlebury.edu to plan your visit. Free.
Wednesday, February 3, 7:00 PM
Note: the Museum of Art will be open until 7:00 PM.Middlebury College, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Robison Hall (Concert Hall)
Shakespeare has been a prism through which American issues—revolution, slavery, war, social justice—have been refracted. Drawing upon his recent anthology of writings, Columbia University Professor James Shapiro explores how the history of Shakespeare in America is also the history of America itself.
James Shapiro, professor of english and comparative literature at Columbia University, is the author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare; Contested Will, Shakespeare in America; and The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606. A book signing and light reception will follow the lecture. Free.
Cosponsored by the Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury College, and the Vermont Humanities Council.
Thursday, February 18, 4:30 PM
Note: the Museum of Art will be open until 7:00 PM.Mahaney Center for the Arts, Lobby, Museum of Art, and Dance Theater, Middlebury College, Vermont
Join us for Renaissance music, gallery talks, and a live theater performance celebrating the exhibition First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare. Starting at 4:30, The Penny Lane Consort will perform music of Shakespeare's time on recorders, sackbut, and other instruments. At 4:45 PM and 6:15 PM, join Middlebury College professors James Berg and Timothy Billings for gallery tours in the Museum of Art. At 5:00 PM, the Middlebury Actors Workshop will perform Straight Up Shakespeare, an energetic, fast-paced romp through Shakespeare's world. This free performance will feature Shakespeare's most famous scenes and sonnets, linked together with original commentary that will demystify Shakespeare for all ages. Next, The Mountain Ayres, Middlebury College's co-ed acappella group dedicated to the appreciation and performance of Renaissance music, will serenade visitors until it is time to say, “Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow.” Also enjoy Renaissance refreshments, children's activities, and Shakespeare selfies. FREE.
Monday, January 11–May 2016
Davis Family Library, ground and main floors
In Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3, Polonius councils his son Laertes with this advice: “Neither a borrower nor a lender be / For loan oft loses both itself and friend.” In celebration of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death and the exhibition of the First Folio at the Museum of Art, Special Collections & Archives will feature rare and unusual books related to Shakespeare that have been borrowed or lent over the centuries. Free.
Sponsored by Special Collections & Archives, Middlebury College Library.
Tuesdays 10:30 AM–11:15 AM, from January 5–February 23
Note: no storytime on February 16.Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury
Get swept away by Little Master Shakespeare's tale of two star-crossed lovers in Romeo & Juliet: A Counting Primer. Count friends, kisses, love letters, and roses in this charming retelling of Shakespeare's famous story of young love. This activity is for babies and toddlers with parents and siblings. Participants will receive a free copy of Romeo & Juliet: A Counting Primer. Free.
Cosponsored by the Ilsley Public Library and Middlebury College Library.
Wednesday, February 3, 7:00 PM
Note: the Museum of Art will be open until 7:00 PM.Middlebury College, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Robison Hall (Concert Hall)
Shakespeare has been a prism through which American issues—revolution, slavery, war, social justice—have been refracted. Drawing upon his recent anthology of writings, Columbia University Professor James Shapiro explores how the history of Shakespeare in America is also the history of America itself.
James Shapiro, professor of english and comparative literature at Columbia University, is the author of 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare; Contested Will, Shakespeare in America; and The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606. A book signing and light reception will follow the lecture. Free.
Cosponsored by the Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury College, and the Vermont Humanities Council.
Wednesday, February 10, 3:30 PM
Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury
Do not bite your thumb at us, good sirs: due to circumstances outside of our control, The Lion King is not to be. Instead, come join the youth services librarian at Ilsley Public Library for a viewing of Gnomeo & Juliet, a makeover of one of the world's most timeless stories featuring music from Sir Elton John, and the voice talents of Emily Blunt, James McAvoy and Sir Michael Caine.
Ages eight and up independently, seven and under with adult. Free.
Sponsored by the Ilsley Public Library.
Tuesday, February 16–Friday, February 19, 9:00 AM–12:00 PM
Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury
Learn how to transform series of still images into animated Shakespeare scenes with the help of Ilsley Public Library and MCTV's Technology Coordinator Kurt Broderson. This class is intended for kids entering grades four and above. Registration is required. Please call 802-388-4097. Free.
Sponsored by the Ilsley Public Library.
Thursday, February 18, 4:30 PM
Note: the Museum of Art will be open until 7:00 PM.Mahaney Center for the Arts, Lobby, Museum of Art, and Dance Theater, Middlebury College, Vermont
Join us for Renaissance music, gallery talks, and a live theater performance celebrating the exhibition First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare. Starting at 4:30, The Penny Lane Consort will perform music of Shakespeare's time on recorders, sackbut, and other instruments. At 4:45 PM and 6:15 PM, join Middlebury College professors James Berg and Timothy Billings for gallery tours in the Museum of Art. At 5:00 PM, the Middlebury Actors Workshop will perform Straight Up Shakespeare, an energetic, fast-paced romp through Shakespeare's world. This free performance will feature Shakespeare's most famous scenes and sonnets, linked together with original commentary that will demystify Shakespeare for all ages. Next, The Mountain Ayres, Middlebury College's co-ed acappella group dedicated to the appreciation and performance of Renaissance music, will serenade visitors until it is time to say, “Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow.” Also enjoy Renaissance refreshments, children's activities, and Shakespeare selfies. FREE.
Saturday, February 20, 1:00 PM and 2:30 PM
Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, Vermont
Tina Packer is the founding artistic director of Shakespeare & Company and the author of the new book Women of Will. Ms. Packer is regarded as one of the country's foremost experts on Shakespeare. Copies of her book will be for sale at the book signing.
1:00 PM Book signing and talk. TICKETS: $10
2:30 PM Shakespeare Workshop with the cast of Straight Up Shakespeare. FREE
Sponsored by the Town Hall Theater.
Saturday, February 20, 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM
Dana Auditorium, Middlebury College, Vermont
Shakespeare's classic comedy is given a contemporary spin by director Joss Whedon. Shot in just twelve days, the story of sparring lovers Beatrice and Benedick offers a dark, sexy, and occasionally absurd view of the intricate game that is love. “The first filmed Shakespeare comedy in decades that is actually funny.”—Lou Lumenick, New York Post. Free.
Sponsored by the Hirschfield International Film Series.
Saturday, February 20, 8:00 PM and Sunday, February 21, 7:00 PM
Wright Memorial Theatre, Middlebury College, Vermont
Join master actor/dramaturg Tina Packer as she deconstructs and conjures William Shakespeare's most famous female characters in two funny and fierce shows that are part performance and part master class. On Saturday, Packer and co-star Nigel Gore will perform Force and Heat: The Early Plays. On Sunday, they will present Chaos and Redemption: The Later Plays. “Marvelous!”—Ben Brantley, New York Times. Book signings after each show.
Tickets: $20/15/6 - Buy tickets online or call 802-443-6433 to buy tickets.
Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series and the Theatre Program in conjunction with the exhibition of Shakespeare's First Folio at the museum.
Sunday, February 28, 5:00 PM
Note: the Museum of Art will be open until 7:00 PM.Mahaney Center for the Arts, Dance Theater, Middlebury College, Vermont
Shakespeare's Richard the Second is about the deposition of a monarch. Imagine the fury of Queen Elizabeth when she discovered that this very play was performed for an audience of traitorous soldiers the night before the Essex Rebellion—the famed Earl's failed attempt, to depose her.
In Jon Glascoe's new play Will, Shakespeare stands chained in the Tower of London, questioned by Robert Cecil and eventually the Queen herself, to determine his role in the treason. In the course of these examinations, Will's whole life is revealed, from his humble beginnings in Stratford, to the glory of Hamlet.
Join us for a series of excerpts from Will, performed by members of the Vermont Shakespeare Festival. FREE. Light Refreshments after the performance.
Cosponsored by the Director of the Arts at Middlebury, the Council for the Arts, the Middlebury College Museum of Art and the Vermont Shakespeare Festival.
January 6, 7:00 PM
Vermont Humanities Council First Wednesday Program
Norwich Congregational Church, Norwich, Vermont
Dartmouth Professor Emeritus Peter Saccio unpacks the myriad riches of Shakespeare's play Cymbeline—its uniquely complex plot, bizarre geography, unusual mixture of comedy, tragedy, and history, and extraordinary final scene of multiple discoveries. Free.
January 6, 7:00 PM
Vermont Humanities Council First Wednesday Program
Brownell Library, Essex Junction, Vermont
Middlebury College professor Timothy Billings paints a picture of Shakespeare's life, poetry, and stagecraft over the course of an evolving career with an emphasis on the uncertainties, pleasures, challenges, and surprises they have held for generations of readers and audiences since his death four centuries ago this year. Free.
For more information: shakespeare@middlebury.edu or 802-443-3028.