University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries Magazine | Page 10

Shakespeare’s First Folio of 1623—the
“Most-Studied” Book in the World—to Visit
Madison in November 2016.
By Susan Barribeau
English Language Humanities Librarian
In February we were notified that University of
Wisconsin–Madison’s Chazen Museum of Art
was selected as the Wisconsin host site for the
traveling exhibit “First Folio! The Book that Gave Us
Shakespeare.” UW–Madison Libraries, in partnership
with the Chazen Museum of Art and the UW–Madison
Arts Institute, will oversee “2016: Year of Shakespeare in
Wisconsin.” We hope to make the exhibit a crowning
event in a year-long celebration of Shakespeare, which
will include performances, lectures, films, food events,
and as-yet-unimagined activities for Wisconsinites of all
ages.
The application our team submitted was enriched
beyond our hopes with many wonderful letters of
support detailing plans for Wisconsin engagement
with the works of Shakespeare in many aspects. We
are grateful for the enthusiasm expressed by the UW–
Madison campus, by a wide variety of Madison groups
and organizations, and at the state level—which is, in
fact, how this project came to us.
Wisconsin’s relationship with the works of
Shakespeare in performance is well-established, with
theatre groups such as American Players Theatre,
Milwaukee’s Optimist Theatre, and Door Shakespeare
including Shakespeare’s ^\