2014/15 SeaSon

FOLGER THEATRE

ShakespeareSchillerStoppard

Folger Theatre’s 2014/15 season embarks on a theatrical journey that spans centuries. Traveling from the battlefields of ancient Rome through Tudor England’s

royal conflicts and to the comic absurdity of the modern age, this season celebrates three dramatic classics and features three extraordinary writers—Shakespeare, Schiller, and Stoppard. Our lineup of masterpieces promises a year of exploration, discovery, and reflection. One thing is constant—the Folger offers intriguing experiences enacted by the finest talent, in an intimate space, side by side with the Library’s peerless collection.

When you come this season —and subscribe now to secure your tickets for the Globe’s King Lear in September—you’ll be sitting comfortably in new seats in our refurbished theater.

So come on board for a rare and wonderful adventure.

—Janet Alexander Griffin, Artistic Producer

Folger TheaTre is the vibrant center of performing arts at the Folger Shakespeare Library, the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare materials. In our beautiful, intimate Elizabethan theater, the Folger performs a season of classics. For more than two decades, Folger Theatre has staged dynamic productions, high in quality and varied in style, entertaining as well as moving. Folger brought Teller together with Aaron Posner to produce a magical Macbeth. King Lear was co-produced with the Classical Theatre of Harlem. Lynn Redgrave’s Shakespeare for My Father had its earliest beginnings at Folger, as did Roger Rees’ What You Will. In addition to developing acclaimed works, Folger Theatre was first to bring Shakespeare’s Globe from London to Washington, presenting Hamlet, returning in July 2014 on its worldwide tour. In May 2014, with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Folger Theatre actors paired words from Midsummer with Mendelssohn’s music. Folger Theatre recorded six unabridged plays for Folger Luminary Shakespeare, distributed by Simon & Schuster. Folger Theatre has received 124 nominations and 21 Helen Hayes Awards, including Outstanding Resident Play for Measure for Measure, Hamlet, and The Taming of the Shrew.

Folger Theatre is “the classiest showcase for the Bard in town and possibly the nation.”

—MD Theatre Guide

“Shakespeare should always be so lucky.”

—The Washington Post

“A house you’ll be very happy to spend your time in.”

—Metro Weekly

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Et tu, Brute?

Caesar, beware the Ides of March.

Julius Caesar comes home victorious with power and popularity. Several senators, fearful for the Republic and driven by their own ambition, conspire to assassinate the Roman dictator at the Capitol. Their brash move plunges the empire into civil war.

Shakespeare’s ferocious examination of power, ambition, and responsibility to the people crackles, just one block from our own Capitol.

OCTOBER 28 – DECEMBER 7, 2014

By

WILLIAM

Directed by

ROBERT

“Julius Caesar helps us see the political past, the present, and the future. Staging this timeless work at the Folger where Shakespeare, scholarship, and entertainment are all housed under one roof is absolute paradise.” —Robert Richmond

LOUIS BUTELLI dEIdra Lawan STarnES

Zach Appelman in Henry V, 2013

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Owiso Odera and Ian Merrill Peakes in Othello, 2011

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RichMoNd

202.544.7077www.folger.edu/theatre

Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, is imprisoned under

charges of attempted regicide. Can her captor and cousin, Queen Elizabeth, bring herself to sign the death decree? These majestic women struggle to battle prejudice, greed, lust, and ultimately each other.

Peter Oswald’s bold new translation of Schiller’s vivid re-imagining breathes life into a Tudor world flush with subterfuge and revenge. This compelling standoff dramatizes both the personal and the political.

KaTE EaSTwOOd nOrrIS as Mary

HOLLY TwYFOrdas Elizabeth

“Mary Stuart is a tale of two astonishing women— a powerful play of passion, deceit, courage, and recklessness, all for the stability of the throne of England. I am delighted to return to the Folger and work with such an exceptional cast.” —Richard Clifford

Justice is not the question.

202.544.7077www.folger.edu/theatre

Tymberlee Chanel in The Game of Love and Chance, 2006

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Clinton Brandhagen, Hugh Nees, and Cody Nickell in The School for Scandal, 2008

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JANUARY 27 – MARCH 8, 2015

By

FRIEDRICH

In a new version by

PETER

Directed by

RICHARD

Schiller

OsWald

Clifford

Cast also includes Ray Dooley, Cody Nickell, Nancy Robinette, and Todd Scofield.

“Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is a modern classic filled with brilliant wit and, at times, chilling truths. It is thrilling to bring another masterwork of Tom Stoppard, one of our greatest living playwrights, to the Folger stage.” —Aaron Posner

In a world where pirates can happen to anyone,

this fabulously inventive existentialist tragicomedy thrusts two of Shakespeare’s most incidental characters into the limelight.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive in Elsinore. Their mission is to identify what afflicts Hamlet. The bewildered duo engage with a ragtag group of players. Unsure of both the game and its rules, can our antiheroes keep their heads?

Stoppard’s Tony Award®-winning romp through Shakespeare is a feast of wit and wordplay.

Ian MErrILL PEaKESas The Player

CraIG waLLaCE as Claudius

Give us this day our daily mask.

202.544.7077www.folger.edu/theatre

Erin Weaver and Cody Nickell in Arcadia, 2009

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Ian Merrill Peakes and Karen Peakes in Measure for Measure, 2006

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MAY 12 – JUNE 21, 2015

By

TOM

Directed by

AARON

Stoppard

PosNer

Cast also includes Michael Doherty, Kimberly Schraf, and Brynn Tucker.

IT’S eaSY To SUBSCrIBe: OnLInE: www.folger.edu/subscribe

BY PHOnE: 202.544.7077

BY FaX: 202.544.7520

In PErSOn: Visit the Folger Box Office, open Monday–Saturday, 12–5pm Extended hours during performances

BY MaIL: Print and complete the PDF order form available at www.folger.edu/subscribe and mail to:

Folger Box Office ATTN: Subscriptions 201 East Capitol Street, SE Washington, DC 20003

3-PlaY PaCKage oPTIoNS:• PrE-THEaTEr TaLKS Folger Shakespeare Library Director

Michael Witmore leads a small group discussion on each of the plays. Includes light fare reception. (Tickets to discussion can be purchased separately.)

• POST-PErFOrManCE TaLKS wITH CaST Following the performance, join Resident Dramaturg Michele Osherow and the company of actors for a moderated conversation about the production.

• OPEn-CaPTIOnEd PErFOrManCES Open-captioning is provided for one performance of each play on a select Sunday matinee.

• YOUnG PrOFESSIOnaL PErFOrManCES Join fellow audience members under the age of 35 with this discounted subscription.

eNJoY TheSe SUBSCrIPTIoN BeNeFITS:• Guaranteed great seats at a great price• Free and easy ticket exchanges • Discount Hill & Will card to area businesses and restaurants• Free subscription to Folger Magazine• Special invitations and offers to other Folger events

shaKesPeare’s gloBe In lonDon Presents

18 PERFORMANCES ONLY! BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 5Renowned classical actor Joseph Marcell (TV’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Folger Theatre’s As You Like It) plays the title role in this stunning production by Shakespeare’s Globe On Tour.

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EXCLUSIVE PrIOrITY—As a subscriber, purchase tickets to Shakespeare’s Globe’s touring production of King Lear before they go on sale to the general public.

SUBscriBe todaY!

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2014/15 SEASON