The Folger Shakespeare Library is on a mission to renew interest in the written word. Their annual Reading Room Festival, which returns this weekend with an exciting lineup of guest actors and directors—including Macbeth In Stride’s Whitney White—is an important part of that mission.
Known across the globe for both its library and stage productions, the Folger opened in 1932 and is home to the world’s largest William Shakespeare collection, as well as other rare books and manuscripts. It also works tirelessly to increase accessibility and interest in Shakespeare’s work in today’s culture.
“It’s hard to understand, so it’s hard to care,” this writer’s 15-year-old says of dissecting Shakespeare’s work in her high school classrooms. “It only becomes interesting when I see it performed.”
Enter stage left: the 2025 Reading Room Festival. Returning for its third year, the four-day celebration features staged readings, panel discussions, and workshops, alongside happy hour events and a closing night party.
The festival’s focus is on collaboration and community, with a newfound emphasis on translation. There are two bilingual productions this year, as well as two workshops specifically focusing on the new theme: Translating Shakespeare’s English into American Sign Language and Make Hamlet Your Own, in which professor Alexa Alice Joubin will lead attendees through a process of translating the tragedy into one’s own cultural experience. Organizers are particularly interested in opening up opportunities for playwrights and artists from marginalized communities including BIPOC, Latine, LGBTQIA, and women creators.
Karen Ann Daniels, Folger’s director of programming and artistic director, describes the festival as “a place of possibility. It gets more exciting each year simply because it feels like we’ve created a space where new plays that have a Shakespeare synergy without being Shakespeare can find a suitable platform.”
For those of us who love the original plays, this offers the unique opportunity to expand both the traditional audience and the traditional canon. New adaptations offer new perspectives, inviting in communities that have traditionally been excluded from the art form, which is often associated with White, middle- and upper-class patrons. White, whose Macbeth In Stride received rave reviews in 2023 for re-telling the Scottish play through the eyes of Lady Macbeth, is a perfect example. The work she’s premiering at this year’s festival, By the Queen, remixes text from Henry VI and Richard III to tell the story of Queen Margaret. And Lauren M. Gunderson’s A Room in the Castle, which was first workshopped at the inaugural Reading Room Festival and will make its world premiere at Folger this March, is a rebranding of Hamlet that puts the spotlight on the play’s oft-overlooked women.
“In our third year, we’re stepping back and examining the broader field,” says Daniels. “Artists are exploring the impact of Shakespeare in unexpected ways… We think the plays we are showcasing this year will engrain a deeper connection and appreciation of Shakespeare today and tomorrow with communities and audiences of all kinds.”
In addition to By the Queen, this year’s readings offer yet another new take on Hamlet, with the play’s namesake reimagined as a young Latine Black prince. Set in present-day New York City, the bilingual play was adapted by Reynaldo Piniella and Emily Lyon, with Spanish translation by Christin Eve Cato. Laurie Woolery directs the performance.
Another highlight is the one-night production of Valor, Agravio Y Mujer (The Courage to Right a Woman’s Wrongs), directed by Tatyana Marie Carlo and adapted by Julissa Contreras. Written by Ana Caro Mallén de Soto (1590-1646), a Spanish contemporary of Shakespeare, Valor tells the story of a scorned heroine seeking revenge, with all the trappings of a great Shakespeare comedy: cross-dressing, swordplay, love triangles, and more. Mallén de Soto is a mysterious, lesser-known figure in history whose work has long been overlooked. Her writing, however, is a fascinating alternative to Shakespeare’s plays, and this staged reading of Valor showcases her comparable talent. A discussion, moderated by actor and director Robert Ramirez, will take place after the Jan. 31 performance.
The 2025 Folger Shakespeare Library Reading Room Festival starts on Jan. 30 and runs through Feb. 2. folger.edu. $20 for individual events, $150 for the festival’s all-access pass.