A Bevy of Events Accompany Shakespeare’s First Folio at the Ford Center
A copy of William Shakespeare’s First Folio will be on display at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts in Oxford, from April 11 – May 1, for free viewing to the public. The First Folio is the oldest collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays. In the years following Shakespeare’s death in 1616, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two of Shakespeare’s close friends and members of his acting company, the King’s Men, collected 36 of his plays, creating the First Folio, which was originally published in 1623. The book had an estimated print run of 750 copies, of which only 233 copies are known to survive today.
To commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, First Folio! The Book That Gave Us Shakespeare is a nationwide, touring exhibition to all 50 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico, in 2016. The event is made possible by the Folger Shakespeare Library, in DC – the largest Shakespearean collection in the world. The collection was the pride and joy of Henry and Emily Folger, who collected countless books, manuscripts, and historical items related to William Shakespeare and his life and times. Their collection includes 82 copies of the First Folio, the largest group in the world. There will be an opening reception event on April 11, at 6:30 pm, followed by a scholarly lecture by Ivo Kamps, professor and chairman of the University’s English department.
In addition, there will be many performances, workshops, master classes, lectures, and exhibitions celebrating the rich and diverse legacy of Shakespeare, which will be occurring in the University area between now and the beginning of May. The overwhelming bulk of these events will be free to the general public.
Performances:
Tina Packer’s Women of Will
Thursday, April 14 | 7:30 pm
Ford Center for the Performing Arts
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Ole Miss Theatre
April 15-16 & 21-23 at 7:30 pm | April 16-17 & 24 at 2 pm
Fulton Chapel
Music from Shakespeare’s Theatre for Children
with instrument petting zoo
Mockingbird Early Music Ensemble
Saturday, April 30 | 3 pm
Ford Center for the Performing Arts (FREE)
Dramatic reading of William Shakespeare’s
The Tempest | Theatre Oxford
Sunday, May 1 | 2-5 pm |
Powerhouse Community Arts Center | Free
Music from Shakespeare’s Theatre
Mockingbird Early Music Ensemble
Sunday, May 1 | 3 pm | Nutt Auditorium | Free
Workshops and Master Classes:
Shakespeare Activities for Families:
“Have Fun with Hamlet”
2 pm | Ford Center for the Performing Arts | Free
Sunday, April 17
…and:
“Create a Folio”
3 pm | University of Mississippi Museum | Free
Sunday, April 17
Exhibitions:
“As Good Luck Would Have It: The Rich Tradition of
Shakespeare Scholarship in the Library”
Monday, March 14 — Ongoing through late summer
J.D. Williams Library | Free
“Wherefore Art Thou”
Shakespeare-themed Art Exhibition
April 4-May 2 | 9 am-5 pm, Monday-Friday
Powerhouse Community Arts Center | Free
“First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare”
On tour from the Folger Shakespeare Library
April 11-May 1 | Ford Center for the Performing Arts | Free
Lectures:
“Shakespeare’s Romans: The Rediscovery and
His Reinvention of Julius Caesar”
Saturday, April 2 | 2-3 pm
Lafayette County and Oxford Public Library | Free
Monday, April 4 | 5:30-6:30 pm
Bryant Hall | Free
Screening of Sing Thee to Thy Rest: Ole Miss Opera
in the Czech Republic, a film by Matthew Graves, with
“Shakespeare and Music,” a lecture by Robert Riggs
Tuesday, April 5 | 7:30 pm
Ford Center for the Performing Arts | Free
“Tina Packer’s Women of Will” –
Master Class and Lecture/Demonstration
Wednesday, April 13 | Times TBD
Ford Center for the Performing Arts | Free
“Dissing Shakespeare: Shakespeare on Film
in the 20th and 21st Centuries”
Tuesday, April 19 | 6 pm | Lamar Hall
“Shakespeare and Swordplay:
A Stage Combat Demonstration”
Wednesday, April 20 | 8-9 pm | Fulton Chapel | Free
Shakespeare and Philosophy Academic Conference
Friday, April 22 | 9 am-7 pm | E.F. Yerby Center | Free
“Crafty Shakespeare: Theatre as
a Collaborative Workshop”
Thursday, April 28 | 6 pm | The Depot | Free 
About the Author
TLV News The Local Voice is a bimonthly entertainment guide and newspaper based in Oxford, Mississippi, covering and distributed in North Central Mississippi, including Oxford, Ole Miss, Taylor, Abbeville, Water Valley, Lafayette County, Yalobusha County, and parts of Panola County, Marshall County, and Tupelo . The Local Voice is distributed free to over 255 locations in North Mississippi and also available as a full color PDF download worldwide on the internet.
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