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The Folger Spotlight

Introducing texts&beheadings:ElizabethR

728x90The 2015/16 season at Folger Theatre kicks off with a special engagement of texts&beheadings/ElizabethR, which heads into rehearsal next week and we’re delighted to have the opportunity to host the world premiere of this new American play (we have more than one this season!) and to use this site to tell you more about the play, its Queen, and their connections to the Folger.

Drawing in part on Elizabeth I’s letters and other material in the Folger collection, texts&beheadings is a devised theatre piece that uses Elizabeth’s own words – and four talented actresses – to reveal her wit, courage, and extraordinary love of her people. To learn more, including complete casting and newly added events visit us online.

In honor of the start of rehearsal, we’re taking a look back into the Folger archives and exploring the wealth of Elizabeth I treasures at the Folger.

In 2003, the Folger celebrated the 400th anniversary of the end of Elizabeth’s reign with an exhibition entitled Elizabeth I: Then and Now

The exhibition is archived online on Folgerpedia and the catalog is still available. The curator of Elizabeth I, Georgianna Ziegler, will give a free talk on October 2 before the evening performance of texts&beheadings/ElizabethR and we hope you’ll join us then. In the meantime, enjoy exploring the archive and the images below, which represent a small fraction of the material at the Folger.

ELIZABETH I at the folger

Stayed tuned next week for more Elizabeth images from the Folger collection, this time focusing on portrayals of Elizabeth onstage. Sneak peek below –

texts&beheadings/ElizabethR will be the second time in as many years that the Queen Herself will make an appearance at the Folger. Holly Twyford played Elizabeth in last season’s Mary Stuart and Michael Learned won a Helen Hayes award for her portrayal of the Queen in Elizabeth the Queen in 2003.