Welcome to the Folger Shakespeare Library!

Join us in 2016 for The Wonder of Will, celebrating Shakespeare and his extraordinary legacy through special events, exhibitions (including First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare), performances, and more!
 
Located on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, the Folger is the world’s largest Shakespeare collection—the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. We provide access to a huge array of resources, from original sources to modern interpretations.

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201 East Capitol Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003

Building & Exhibitions
Monday–Saturday: 10:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday: noon – 5:00pm
Extended Hours: Open Fridays until 8:00pm

Reading Room
Monday–Friday: 8:45am – 4:45pm
Saturday: 9:00am – noon, and
1:00pm – 4:30pm

  • Subscriptions Now Available

    Our 25th anniversary season features amazing productions of Sense and Sensibility, As You Like It, and Timon of Athens. Join us as we continue to celebrate 400 years of Shakespeare during this very special year. 

    Subscribe

  • Join us for Dramatic Musicke!

    Subscribe today for a stunning season about the connections between art, music, and theatre, featuring performances from Derek Jacobi, The Orlando Consort, and much more.

    More info

Upcoming at the Folger

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America's Shakespeare Promo Homepage

Exhibitions

America's Shakespeare

APRIL 7, 2016 – JULY 24, 2016

Shakespeare Unlimited podcast episode about the Shakespeare First Folio

Shakespeare Unlimited Podcast

Creating the First Folio

We likely wouldn’t have half of Shakespeare’s plays without the First Folio of 1623. In this podcast episode, we hear how the First Folio was conceived, how Shakespeare’s plays were gathered, how the rights for them were obtained, how the book was laid out, and how it was assembled and printed.

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Education

CrossTalk: DC Reflects on Identity and Difference

Join us for CrossTalk DC, a community engagement initiative that will bring together people of all ages, races, religions, professions, and lives to think about race and religion thoughtfully and deeply, through the lens of literature and history.

Collection

Manuscript collection

The Folger collection includes some 60,000 handwritten documents dating from the 15th to the 21st century, offering unique windows onto life in Shakespeare’s time, later writers' fascination with Shakespeare, and the development of the English theater over the centuries.

Folger Institute

2016–2017 Scholarly Programs

The Folger Institute gathers scholars to work together around specific topics relating to Shakespeare and his time. Program formats vary, with offerings lasting a weekend or a year and participants drawing from faculty or graduate students. Funding for participants is often available to support travel and lodging.