On April 1, 2021 the Folger hosts its Virtual Book Club, featuring a discussion on A Bright Ray of Darkness by Ethan Hawke. To prepare for the discussion, we have pulled together a list of Folger resources related to Shakespeare’s Henry IV plays, the performance of which forms the background of Hawke’s novel.
READ the play(s)
LISTEN to related podcast episodes
- Episode 34: Great Shakespearean Actors
- Episode 92: Derek Jacobi: Acting Shakespeare
- Episode 149: Directing Shakespeare
LEARN more about Henry IV pt. 1
- Mangled glory: Fact and (mostly) fiction in Shakespeare’s history plays
- Lady Percy and Lady Mortimer in Henry IV, Part 1
- Fat rogue, pampered glutton: Two Falstaffian context clues
- Edward Dering and the earliest record of an amateur private performance of a Shakespeare play
- Henry IV on Folgerpedia
EXPLORE the performance history of the play at the Folger
- Henry IV part 1, Shenendoah Shakespeare Express (1997)
- Henry IV, part 1, Folger Theatre (2008)
- 1 Henry IV, Folger Theatre (2019)
REVISIT Lincoln Center’s 2003 production, featuring Ethan Hawke as Hotspur
Words, Words,Words discusses Ethan Hawke’s A Bright Ray of Darkness on April 1, 2021. The event is free, but registration is required through our website.