Saturday, February 20, 2016

Shakespeare in South Dakota!

Did you hear?!


SHAKESPEARE IS COMING TO SOUTH DAKOTA!!!




That's how I picture your reaction, anyway. Shakespeare being, of course, the English teacher's Beatles...You squealed when you read that line up above, right?

Even if your squeal was more of an "Oooo!" or just a "hmmm" like the girl on the right, you may want to keep reading because this is pretty cool.

2016 marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death. To celebrate, the Folger Shakespeare Library is sending out four of its 82 copies of Shakespeare's First Folio to tour the United States. For South Dakotans, that means 27 days of a copy on display at USD's National Music Museum and a plethora of Shakespearean events to commemorate the occasion. (This is starting to remind me of Sir Nicholas' deathday party in Harry Potter...)


The Folger traveling exhibit, First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare, includes an interactive display along with a copy of the the First Folio. USD's NMM will host the exhibit from March 7 - April 2, 2016. During that time, USD and the Vermillion community will also host Elizabethan/Shakespeare-related concerts, movies, lectures, and family events, most of which will be free to the public. Click here to see the full schedule of events.

First Folio

Also, USD's Shakespeare Folio website provides some useful pieces for the classroom. First, it offers a brief history of the book and connects learners to more information via the Folger's website. Second, Darlene Farabee, Chair of the USD Department of English, speaks to students about Shakespeare and his book through three quick videos: "Shakespeare's Connection to Music," "What is the Shakespeare Folio," and "Why is Shakespeare Important?" (Scroll to the bottom of the website to locate the videos.)

Was I right? Pretty cool? Maybe I'm in the dark on this one, but this is the first Folio visit to SD of which I am aware, and I am hoping to catch a glimpse of this historical book. USD is just a wee bit closer than the Folger Shakespeare Library in D.C. Let me know if you want to carpool!

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