Skip to content
Subscribe
Shakespeare's Birthday Lecture with Dr. Emma Smith
Now Playing
DC/Folger Theatre/Shakespeare's Birthday Lecture with Dr. Emma Smith

Shakespeare's Birthday Lecture with Dr. Emma Smith

Folger Theatre · Capitol Hill

Art Formperformance_art
Who It's Good For

If you're someone who actually reads Shakespeare or catches productions around town and finds yourself wondering *why* we keep interpreting these plays so differently, this is essential. Skip it if you're looking for entertainment rather than intellectual engagement—Smith assumes an audience comfortable with textual analysis and literary argument.

Dr. Emma Smith, Oxford's leading Shakespeare scholar, delivers the Folger Institute's annual birthday lecture on Capitol Hill. Smith has built her reputation on making Shakespeare's texts newly relevant to contemporary readers—she's particularly known for her work on how we perform and interpret the plays across different eras and cultures. This isn't a dusty academic exercise; it's an opportunity to hear from someone who thinks deeply about why Shakespeare still matters, how the plays change when we change them, and what we might be missing when we approach these four-century-old works with modern assumptions. Given the Folger's unparalleled Shakespeare collection just blocks away, this lecture carries real weight in the city's intellectual geography.

Get TicketsView on Folger Theatre website →
Folger Theatre is in Capitol Hill. The nearest Metro station is Union Station (Red Line), located about a 10-minute walk away. The Blue and Silver Lines also serve Union Station, making it accessible from multiple directions across the city.
performance_artCapitol HillNow Playing
Your Ad Here

Also at Folger Theatre

View all →
All the Folger’s a Classroom: Teacher Weekend Intensive on Shakespeare’s Comedies

All the Folger’s a Classroom: Teacher Weekend Intensive on Shakespeare’s Comedies

Mar 13 – Mar 14

Essential for high school and middle school English teachers who regularly teach Shakespeare but want to deepen their understanding of comedic technique and classroom engagement strategies. Skip this if you're looking for entertainment; attend if you're responsible for making *Much Ado About Nothing* come alive for teenagers.

An English Garden

An English Garden

May 8 – May 10

If you're drawn to early music but find traditional concerts static, this literary-musical hybrid offers genuine novelty. It's ideal for anyone curious about how Elizabethans actually experienced their gardens—neither a botanical lecture nor a music recital, but something more textured. Skip it if you prefer straightforward narrative or need a concert that prioritizes virtuosic display.

As You Like It

As You Like It

Mar 10 – Apr 19

If you love language-forward comedy and don't need everything spelled out for you, Rosalind's disguise plot will delight. This is ideal for Shakespeare-curious audiences who've been put off by heavier tragedies; it's also perfect for anyone who appreciates seeing gender roles interrogated through wit rather than lecture.

More performance_art in DC

Browse all performance_art →
Community Workshop: Seven Ages of Music

Community Workshop: Seven Ages of Music

Folger Theatre ·

This works beautifully for families with musically curious kids, but don't discount it if you're an adult who's curious about the intersection of language and music. Skip it if you prefer finished performances to process-based experiences; this is about discovery, not polish.

Director’s Talk: As You Like It with Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper

Director’s Talk: As You Like It with Dr. Farah Karim-Cooper

Folger Theatre ·

Ideal for Shakespeare readers and the production's audiences who want context beyond the text itself, or for anyone curious how institutional scholars think about relevance and interpretation. Skip this if you prefer experiencing theater without analytical framework—it's designed for the intellectually curious, not the casually curious.

The 2026 Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize Reading

The 2026 Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize Reading

Folger Theatre ·

Essential for serious poetry readers and anyone curious about what contemporary emerging poets are exploring right now. If you value discovering writers before they're widely anthologized, or you follow Shane McCrae's work, this is intimate and direct access to the current literary conversation.

Last updated April 9, 2026 · Summaries written by Theaterloop editors with AI assistance

Get Tickets