The University of Nevada, Las Vegas University Libraries will kick off a month-long celebration of William Shakespeare on Sept. 1 with the opening of First Folio! The Book That Gave Us Shakespeare.

The exhibit comes to UNLV from the Folger Shakespeare Library as part of a nationwide tour commemorating the 400 years of Shakespeare and his legacy.  

Considered one of the most influential books in the world, the First Folio includes 36 Shakespeare plays, 18 of which had never been printed before. Without the First Folio, all of those plays, including Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, and As You Like It might have been lost forever. Compiled by two of his friends and fellow theater colleagues, the First Folio was published seven years after Shakespeare’s death in 1616.

UNLV University Libraries has planned 14 events throughout September, ranging from theatrical performances of Shakespeare’s plays and a workshop for teachers to faculty lectures and children’s workshops.

All First Folio events are free and will be hosted in the Goldfield Room in Lied Library. For complete details on events and to RSVP to see the First Folio exhibit, visit the University Libraries website.

First Folio Opening Celebration

Sept. 1, 7:30-8:30 p.m.

This kick-off event features a sneak preview of The Bomb-itty of Errors, a hip-hop theatre adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors by the Nevada Conservatory Theatre, and an interview with the cast. The event is cosponsored by the UNLV University Libraries, the Nevada Conservatory Theatre, and the UNLV Department of Theatre.

Lecture: The Saint-Omer Shakespeare First Folio Goes Viral

Sept. 18, 2-4 p.m.

In November 2014, Eric Rasmussen, Foundation Professor and chair of English at the University of Nevada, Reno, authenticated the Saint-Omer copy of the Shakespeare First Folio, which had been discovered at a public library in the north of France. Within hours, news of its discovery went viral, receiving an astonishing 12.5 billion online page views worldwide and occasioning widespread claims that the volume proved that Shakespeare was a secret Catholic. Rasmussen will provide a fascinating insiders’ account of these extraordinary events.

Workshop: The First Folio Teaches Teachers: Shakespeare’s Text Demystified

Sept. 10, 9 a.m.-Noon

This interactive workshop for school teachers focuses on the First Folio and is designed to increase teachers' knowledge about Shakespeare. RSVPs for the workshop are currently full. The workshop is cosponsored by the UNLV University Libraries and the Shakespeare Institute of Nevada. 

Performances: A Taste of Shakespeare

Sept. 11, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Families, teachers, and students of all ages are welcome to experience a must-see sampling of iconic Shakespeare plays from the Shakespeare Institute of Nevada.

• Romeo and Juliet, 11:30 a.m.
• Othello, 12:30 p.m.
• A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1:30 p.m.
• Romeo and Juliet, 2:30 p.m.
• Othello, 3:30 p.m.
• A Midsummer Night's Dream, 4:30 p.m.

Families and the First Folio: Workshops for Children and Families

Sept. 17, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Have Fun with Hamlet, 11 a.m. — Introduces families to Shakespeare’s language through familiar lines from Hamlet and other famous plays. Recommended for children ages 6-9.
• Words, Words, Words!, 1 p.m. — Play with Shakespeare’s language using insults from his plays. Recommended for children ages 9-12.
• Create a Folio, 3 p.m. — Learn firsthand about the way the First Folio and other early modern books were printed. Recommended for children ages 6-12.

Shakespeare Seen: Scene Study

Sept. 24, Noon to 3 p.m.

Scene study sessions feature video clips of film or theatre productions the pages of Shakespeare's plays with attention to interpretive decisions made by performers, directors, or other artists. The scenes discussed will be:

• The First Part of King Henry the Fourth, Act 5, Scene 3 — led by Scott Hollifield, Assistant Professor in Residence in UNLV's English Department
• Macbeth Act 1, Scene 7 — led by Kathryne Gargano, UNLV Master of Fine Arts student in poetry
• Antony and Cleopatra, Act 5, Scene 2 — led by Dorothy Vanderford, UNLV doctoral student in English
• The Tempest, scene TBD — led by Alana Faagai, UNLV doctoral student in English

Colloquia

In this series of public seminars, UNLV professors and staff their expertise as it relates to Shakespeare.

• What We Can Learn about Shakespeare from the First Folio, Sept. 8, 4 p.m. — Richard Harp, professor of English.
• "Hazard All He Hath": Shakespeare's Gambling World, Sept. 9, 3 p.m. — David Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at UNLV University.
• 21st Century Shakespeare, Sept. 14, 4 p.m. — Evelyn Gajowski, professor of English.
• Searching For Shakespeare: Folger's Secret Search for First Folios, Sept. 15, 4 p.m. — Stephen Brown, UNLV’s Barrick in Scholar, Rhetoric and Comparative Literature.
• Capturing Shakespearean Performance in Print: The Edwin Booth Prompt Books, Sept. 20, 4 p.m. — Lezlie Cross, assistant professor of Theatre.
• Shakespeare and Environmental Crisis, Sept. 21, 4 p.m. — Charles Whitney, professor of English.
• "Bring Out Your Dead!": Cashing in on Shakespeare in the First Folio, Sept. 22, 4 p.m. — John Bowers, professor of English. 
• Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Printing Technologies, Sept. 29, 4 p.m. — Michael Frazier, University Libraries Special Collections conservator. 

About the Exhibit

The First Folio! tour is produced in association with the American Library Association and the Cincinnati Museum Center and  has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor, and by the support of Google.org, Vinton and Sigrid Cerf, the British Council, Stuart and Mimi Rose, and other generous donors.