The exclusive New Jersey exhibition of exceptionally rare Shakespeare work

(MADISON, NJ) The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, recently named “Company of the Year” by the Wall Street Journal which also described the Theatre as “one of America’s half-dozen leading classical repertory companies,” is proud to partner with Drew University to host the Folger Shakespeare Library’sFirst Folio tour.  A rare original printing of the first collected edition of the plays of William Shakespeare will be exhibited in the fall of 2016 at Drew University in Madison.  Referred to as the First Folio, the work is one of the most important and valuable books printed in English. The co-hosting organizations were selected as the sole New Jersey location to exhibit the First Folio in a highly competitive process

The exhibition, jointly organized by the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. and the American Library Association, will mark the 400thanniversary of Shakespeare’s death.  A copy of the First Folio will be exhibited at one selected location in every state in the United States for one month during 2016.

The First Folio is the earliest published collection of Shakespeare’s plays, and was compiled by two of his actors. Only about 800 copies of the First Folio were printed about nine years after Shakespeare’s death. Only 233 copies of the First Folio are known to survive.  The First Folio represents the first time that Shakespeare’s greatest and most treasured works, including Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, Antony and Cleopatra, The Comedy of Errors, and As You Like It were published as a single collection.

Artistic Director Bonnie J. Monte said, “Co-hosting the presentation of one of the world’s most treasured cultural artifacts is a great honor and a thrilling, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Theatre, Drew University, and our greater community. In tandem with and in celebration of the Folio’s month-long residency, The Shakespeare Theatre will produce one of Shakespeare’s greatest masterpieces on our Main Stage, which will include numerous student matinee performances featuring tours of the Folio exhibit and post-show discussions with our company of artists. Additionally, to complement the exhibit, the Theatre will curate an exciting line-up of programs with guest scholars and Shakespeare artists for visitors and our surrounding community. The Shakespeare Theatre is truly a ‘teaching theatre’ and education is at the core of our mission. Offering our audience the chance to view and discuss what is essentially the source of that mission — our ‘bible’ so to speak — will be a major highlight of our institution’s ongoing history.”

While on display in the University’s Mead Hall, a companion exhibit of rare books contemporary to the First Folio, drawn from Drew’s own collection, will also help visitors understand the First Folio in the context of the tumultuous world of the English Reformation in which Shakespeare lived and wrote.

 “This is a tremendous honor for Drew and a wonderful opportunity for our students and the community,” said Drew University President MaryAnn Baenninger.

“The 36 plays preserved in this ancient book have for centuries helped us to understand, even to define, what it means to be human,” said Chris Ceraso, chair of Drew’s Department of Theatre and Dance and author of Drew’s application to host the First Folio. “To have the book itself, and the accompanying exhibit, housed for a time on our campus, is not just a prestigious honor, but also the perfect embodiment of the liberal arts mission, especially when paired with the performance mission of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.”

The Shakespeare Theatre is the longest-running classic theatre on the East Coast and New Jersey's largest professional theatre company dedicated to Shakespeare's canon and other world classics. The artists of the Shakespeare Theatre seek to bring dramatic masterpieces of the past to dynamic new life in order to inspire present lives as well as future visions for the world. Now in its 53rd season, the company annually presents six Main Stage productions at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, located on the campus of Drew University in Madison, as well as one Outdoor Stage production on the campus of the College of St. Elizabeth in nearby Morris Township. 

In addition to being a celebrated producer of classic plays and operating Shakespeare LIVE!, one of the largest educational Shakespeare touring programs in the Mid-Atlantic region, The Shakespeare Theatre is also deeply committed to nurturing new talent for the American stage by providing an outstanding training ground for aspiring young theatre artists. The Shakespeare Theatre cultivates audiences for the future by providing extensive outreach opportunities for young people across New Jersey and beyond.

About Drew University

Drew University is a private, liberal arts university located in Madison, New Jersey, in the New York City metro area. Ranked among the top liberal arts institutions nationwide by U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, and Washington Monthly, Drew is also listed in Princeton Review’s Best 379 Colleges. The Drew promise—We Deliver Full-Impact Learning to the World—emphasizes the university’s commitment to borderless education that enables a student’s greatest success in a globally connected world. Drew has a total student enrollment of more than 2,000 in three schools: the College of Liberal Arts, the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, and the Drew Theological School. The undergraduate program offers degrees in 30 different disciplines, while Caspersen and the Theological School offer degrees at the master’s and doctoral levels.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.  Additional major support is received from The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, F.M. Kirby Foundation, The Edward T. Cone Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and CTW Foundation, as well as contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, government agencies and individuals.