The Folger Spotlight

One of the wonderful rewards of listening to lots of Shakespeare is the moment when you begin to recognize passages or themes that re-occur. It is the feeling of finally being able to recognize a painter from the strokes of…

In case you missed last week’s post and in honor of the first rehearsal of Richard III at the Folger today, here are eleven more reasons why Harry Potter is like Richard III.                        1. Adorable But Annoying Child Harry Potter: Colin Creevey…

In preparation for our upcoming production of Richard III, we here at Folger Theatre have been thinking quite a bit about that unfortunate king. Given that last week I compared Richard II to a Bonnie Raitt ballad, it only made…

On December 2nd, the Folger hosted the first U.S. screening of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Richard II starring David Tennant. Most fans in America know David Tennant from the BBC television series Dr. Who, but he has been…

Your friendly blogger realizing he hasn’t yet packed. Blog Last: If you missed Romeo & Juliet at the Folger, you missed a good one. Here are my final blog thoughts in random order. This is the first cast of this…

Your friendly blogger with daughter, Juliet (Erin Weaver) “Grumble, Grumble.” “Snort” “Whine” “Complaint” “But it’s soooo eeeearly!” “This is ungodly.” “Oh, no…I’m going to need a nap!” “Is there coffee?” And so it goes… It’s a student matinee of our…

Brian Dykstra (left, as Lord Capulet) and Joe Mallon (as Paris) in Romeo and Juliet. Dykstra Blog: Your Backstage Pass  Hey. Dykstra here. Once again. I thought ya’ll might enjoy a tour through the mind of the actor (a semi-dangerous…

Brian Dykstra as Lord Capulet in Folger’s Romeo and Juliet. Dykstra Blog: Understanding Understudying or The Show Must Go On! Her Name? Stephanie LaVardera. Her Role? Understudying Juliet. Her Job? Saving The Day. Job Complete! Look, there’s lots of times…

Brian Dykstra Note: This blog post by Brian Dykstra was written during tech rehearsals in early October. Romeo and Juliet began performances on October 15 and is now running through December 1. “Ladies and Gentlemen: It is now one o’clock.…

So, I thought maybe y’all might be interested in what actors do on a typical rehearsal day. Here’s a day in the life: Rehearsal is called at 10am. Which is rare. Nothing starts in the theatre before 10am. Nothing. Ever.…

Hello again! Kate here. Yes, that one. I promised last time to talk about some of the challenges in creating audio recordings of Shakespeare. Some of the most memorable images in Shakespeare are visual – the Macbeths with bright eyes…

Rex Daugherty (Tybalt) and Brad Koed (Mercutio) in rehearsal. So, we got these swords. And we keep striking at each other with them. This is one of the things that happens when you decide to be an actor. People keep…