UNH Today

In spring 2016, the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester will host “First Folio: The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare” — one of the remaining copies of the book that documented, and immortalized, William Shakespeare’s greatest plays.

The University of New Hampshire at Manchester partnered with the Currier, UNH Durham, St. Anselm College and University of Massachusetts Lowell to apply to host the traveling exhibit, which will coincide with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

The Folger Shakespeare Library, in partnership with Cincinnati Museum Center and the American Library Association, is touring “First Folio” to all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Currier will be the exclusive venue for New Hampshire and the Boston metropolitan area, bringing the historic publication to the region from April 9 to May 1, 2016.

“After nearly 400 years the First Folio is still revealing its secrets to us, and this is a rare opportunity to see it first-hand,” said Meghan Petersen, Currier librarian and archivist.

UNH Manchester and its partner institutions are planning programs for the public and families during the three-week exhibition, including a lecture hosted by the Currier on Shakespeare in popular culture by Susanne Paterson, program coordinator and professor of English at UNH Manchester, and Doug Lanier, professor of English at UNH Durham.

“I'm really pleased ‘This Star of England’ will be shining in Manchester in April 2016,” Paterson said, quoting Shakespeare’s Henry V.

In connection with the First Folio exhibition, UNH Manchester will host a theater group and teachers from all over the state for a morning workshop on using performance to teach Shakespeare.

Paterson and Carolyn Gamtso, associate professor/information literacy coordinator at UNH Manchester, said they envision many campus events coinciding with the exhibit—from theater performances for the public, to explorative programs for K-12 students in the STEM Discovery Lab.

More details on UNH Manchester’s First Folio lectures, workshops and activities will be available on its website in the coming months. For more information about the exhibition, visit the Currier website.