First Folio! The Book that Gave us Shakespeare comes to the Currier

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Show Shakespeare some love this month at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester when the book that saved many of William Shakespeare’s greatest plays from being forever lost will be on view from April 9 to May 1. 

The First Folio! The Book That Gave Us Shakespeare exhibition and supporting programs are made possible in part by a grant from New Hampshire Humanities. This will be the only opportunity to see the First Folio in New Hampshire or the greater Boston area during its current tour.

In addition to a rare copy of Shakepeare’s First Folio, the exhibition will include a multi-panel display exploring Shakespeare’s significance in his lifetime and in the 400 years since his death; objects from the Currier’s European collection that relate to themes in Shakespeare’s work; and a series of public programs developed in conjunction with several community partners.

The Currier will offer an exhibition on Shakespeare’s Potions through May 13 featuring 16th and 17th century original texts Shakespeare may have used as sources for his recipes and references from the museum’s library. 

The Currier will host Shakespeare Family Day on Saturday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Stop by to make your own folio and then stay for a family-friendly Shakespeare theater performance by Advice to the Players titled Shakespeare and the Language that Shaped a World. 

On Sunday, April 10 at 2 p.m. UMass Lowell Professor Kevin Petersen and UNH Professor Susanne Paterson will offer an ARTalk about Shakespeare’s enduring place in American culture, with emphasis on popular culture and film, followed by a Collection Connections focus tour of the museum. 

First Folio Late Night will include a lively conversation with St. Anselm Professor Dr. Landis K. Magnuson and Dr. Gary Bouchard  about the First Folio as a historical document and a living text, theatre KAPOW will perform a scene from Hamlet and also A Midsummer Night's Dream, live music from Manchester Community Music School and docent led tours of the exhibition, First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare

The First Folio exhibit and associated events are free to all. Learn more on the Currier Museum of Art website.