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First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare
On tour from the Folger Shakespeare Library

May 9-June 12
Oglebay Institute’s Mansion Museum, Oglebay Resort, Wheeling, WV
Museum Open Daily from 10 -5 p.m.

Oglebay Institute Public Programs with Full Details
Most Up-to-Date Event Schedule Available at www.OIonline.com/firstfolio

 

Shakespeare Mini-Festival of Film (FREE)
(April –June)
The festival, presented by the Wheeling Film Society, includes screenings and discussions of three film adaptations of Shakespearean plays that present the extraordinary work of highly acclaimed actor, writer and director Kenneth Branagh.  A stalwart interpreter of Shakespeare for the screen, Branagh is widely credited for making Shakespeare accessible to the masses.

Programs are free and open to the public. John Whitehead, author and professor of film studies at Wheeling Jesuit University, serves as host for the screenings and conversations.

3 p.m. April 23: Hamlet Screening, Towngate Theatre
Noon May 3: Hamlet Discussion, Ohio County Library
Hamlet is a rare production not only for its quality but also because it remains entirely faithful to the full breadth of the original text, cutting no important lines or scenes.  The screening includes an intermission with a dinner option for $12.50.

3 p.m. May 22: Henry V Screening, Towngate Theatre
Noon May 24: Henry V Discussion, Ohio County Library
Henry V is a breathtaking adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s greatest history plays and is lushly cinematic without sacrificing any of Shakespeare’s original intentions for the stage.

3 p.m. June 12: Much Ado About Nothing Screening, Towngate Theatre
Noon June 14: Much Ado About Nothing Discussion, Ohio County Library
Much Ado About Nothing introduced theatrical audiences to conventions of romantic storytelling that we continue to follow faithfully in modern day romantic comedies. Filmed in golden Tuscan light with an outstanding cast of Hollywood and English actors, this adaptation is a fond Adieu to the First Folio’s visit to Wheeling.

 

The People’s University: Shakespeare (FREE)
(April-June)
In keeping with the mission of public libraries as sanctuaries of free learning for all people, the Ohio County Public Library created The People’s University, a free program for adults who wish to continue their education in the liberal arts. The spring session of courses focuses on Shakespeare and complements the exhibit First Folio! The Book That Gave Us Shakespeare on display at Oglebay Institute’s Mansion Museum. The People’s University meets for nine consecutive Tuesday evenings from April 26- June 21 at the Ohio County Public Library.

 

The Dresser
(May 6, 7, 8 & 13-14)
Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theatre presents Ronald Harwood’s The Dresser, which tells the story of an aging actor’s assistant, who tries valiantly to prepare the ailing performer to deliver one final performance as King Lear.

8 p.m. May 6, 7, 13 and 14; 3 p.m. May 8 at Towngate Theatre. Tickets are $12.50. Students and members of Oglebay Institute receive a discount.

 

Madrigal Dinner
(May 7)
Enjoy an evening of music, dancing, food and drink fit for the Bard himself.  Entertainment includes Marginalia, performing period music on period instruments and The Rustic Mechanicals, WV’s only professional touring Shakespeare troupe. Admission also includes a private First Folio! exhibit preview on May 8. This festive event is sponsored by Harris Law Office.

6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 7; Camp Russel, Oglebay.  Admission is $75. Optional lodging is available at Oglebay’s Wilson Lodge.

 

Family Programs  (FREE)
(May 14, 28 & June 11)
Children and their families are introduced to Shakespeare’s language through lines and speeches from Hamlet. Active language exercises help children access new language and words through their voices, bodies and imaginations. Families also explore the process of printing in Shakespeare’s time and the effort than went into making this extraordinary book.

All programs take place from 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. at the Mansion Museum in Oglebay and are free and open to the public.

9 a.m. May 14, Mansion Museum:  Have Fun With Hamlet
Children ages 6-8 and their families are introduced to Shakespeare’s language through activities featuring lines from Hamlet and active language exercises. (Cheryl Harshman, director of the Elbin Library at West Liberty University, instructs.)

9 a.m. May 28, Mansion Museum: Words, Words, Words
Children ages 9-12 and their families are introduced to Shakespeare’s language through activities featuring lines and speeches from Hamlet. (Oglebay Institute performing arts staff instructs.)

9 a.m. June 11, Mansion Museum: Create a Folio
Children ages 6-12 and their families are introduced to Shakespeare’s First Folio. As families explore the process of printing in Shakespeare’s time, they will understand some of the effort than went into making this extraordinary book. (Cheryl Harshman, director of the Elbin Library at West Liberty University, instructs)

 

ShakesBEER in the Park
(May 21)
Party like the groundlings in the Globe Theatre’s pit! Sample special “Shakesbeers” brewed by the Wheeling Alers, feast on 17^th Century theater foods and enjoy interactive entertainment by The Rustic Mechanicals.

7 p.m, May 21 at the Anna Kuchinka Amphitheater, Oglebay Resort.  Admission is $50; $45 for Oglebay Institute Members and OV Connect Members and $35 for designated drivers. VIP admission is $70 and includes early admission to the event and a handcrafted ale tankard customized for the event.

 

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (FREE)
(May 21)
Presented by Wheeling Jesuit University, Duquesne University’s Red Masquers and Wheeling Central High School, the performance takes place at 7 p.m. at Wheeling Jesuit University’s Troy Theater.

 

The Tempest, performed by The Rustic Mechanicals (FREE)
(May 29)
An outdoor performance by WV’s only traveling Shakespeare troupe, based in Clarksburg at the Vintage Theatre Company.

7 p.m. at the Anne Kuchinka Amphitheater, Oglebay Resort. Free and open to the public.

 

Society of Creative Anachronism Demonstrations (FREE)
(June 4)
Join the Shire of Ballachlagan for a day of historic entertainment. Experience the armored combat of a medieval tournament and the early modern art of rapier fighting. See period artifacts and learn about late medieval customs. Participate in European and Middle-Eastern dance. Hands-on activities include printing, gaming and costuming with heraldic displays and other various domestic activities of Medieval and Renaissance times.

10 a.m.- 2p.m.; June 4 on the lawn of the Mansion Museum, Oglebay Resort. Free and open to the public.

 

Gravedigger’s Tale
(June 11)
Presented by the Folger Theatre, this interactive one-man play engages the audience in a retelling of Hamlet from his unique perspective. The program is sponsored by Kepner Funeral Home.

2 p.m. June 11, Mansion Museum, Oglebay Resort, Admission is $12.50.

7:30 p.m. June 11, Greenwood Cemetery, Admission is $25.

Oglebay Institute will host the original First Folio of Shakespeare at its Mansion Museum in Wheeling from May 9 to June 12 as part of a national touring exhibition celebrating 400 years of Shakespeare.

Wheeling, West Virginia— Oglebay Institute’s Mansion Museum will soon be host to the original 1623 Shakespeare First Folio. Considered one of the most influential books in the world, the First Folio includes 36 Shakespeare plays, 18 of which had never been printed before. Without the First Folio, all of those plays—including Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, As You Like It, and more—might have been lost forever. Compiled by two of his friends and fellow theater colleagues, the First Folio was published seven years after Shakespeare’s death in 1616.

Folger Shakespeare Library, which holds 82 copies of the First Folio and is the world’s largest Shakespeare collection, is touring a Shakespeare First Folio to all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico in 2016 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. Oglebay Institute’s Mansion Museum is the only stop on the tour for the state of West Virginia.

The First Folio will be on display at Oglebay Institute’s Mansion Museum, located in Oglebay Resort, from May 9 to June 12 and is open to the public from 10 a.m.- 5p.m. daily.

On tour, the First Folio will be opened to the most quoted line from Shakespeare, “to be or not to be” from Hamlet. Accompanying the 1623 book will be a six-panel exhibition exploring Shakespeare’s impact, then and now, along with interactive, digital activities.

Oglebay Institute has partnered with West Liberty University, Wheeling Jesuit University, the Ohio County Public Library, the West Virginia Reading Association and other community partners to present a series of programs during the four-week exhibition to connect the public with the Bard, his work and the history of the printed word. Programs range from lectures and interpretive displays to film festivals, family programs and theater productions. To find out more about the exhibit and the more than 40 programs and events planned, visit www.OIonline.com/firstfolio or www.wonderofwill.folger.edu.

“We are honored to have been selected as a venue to help share this extraordinary part of the world’s cultural heritage,” said Oglebay Institute director of museums Christin Byrum. “For most people this will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to come within inches of one of the most influential books in history.”

When the tour was announced, Michael Witmore, director of the Folger Shakespeare Library, said, “Shakespeare is one of the greatest storytellers of all time. His characters are familiar to us, and his words still excite artists, scholars, and audiences around the globe. He connects us to each other, to our history, and to the themes and ideas that touch us every day. Shakespeare’s world is our world, and it is vast. We hope this exhibit invites everyone to come explore.”

The First Folio! national tour is part of the Folger Shakespeare Library’s 2016 Wonder of Will celebration of 400 years of Shakespeare.

First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare, on tour from the Folger Shakespeare Library, is produced in association with the American Library Association, which helped to organize and plan the tour, including its comprehensive application process, and the Cincinnati Museum Center, whose exhibitions department is providing tour management expertise in preparing for travel the panels that will accompany the First Folios at each stop, as well as designing traveling display cases for the folios. CMC and Folger staff are partnering to manage tour logistics and provide staff for installation and de-installation at each site.

First Folio! has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor, and by the support of Google.org, Vinton and Sigrid Cerf, and other generous donors.

About Oglebay Institute

Since 1930, the non-profit Oglebay Institute has served as the cultural hub of Wheeling, the region’s premier resource for lifelong learning opportunities and a gathering place for people of all ages to engage in creative pursuits. Operating six facilities (The Mansion Museum, The Glass Museum, The Stifel Fine Arts Center, Towngate Theatre and Cinema, The Schrader Environmental Education Center and the School of Dance), the organization serves more than 85,000 people annually through its hundreds of community and school-based programs in visual arts, dance, theater, history, heritage and environmental education. Oglebay Institute advocates the essential value of arts and nature in our personal lives and its public worth to our community.

About Folger Shakespeare Library

Folger Shakespeare Library is the world’s largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. The Folger welcomes millions of visitors online and in person. We provide unparalleled access to a huge array of resources, from original sources to modern interpretations. With the Folger, you can experience the power of performance, the wonder of exhibitions, and the excitement of path-breaking research. We offer the opportunity to see and work with early modern sources, driving discovery and transforming education for students of all ages. Shakespeare’s world is vast. Come explore. Join us online, on the road, or in Washington, DC. Learn more at www.folger.edu

Partners in this exhibition include:

About Cincinnati Museum Center

Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized institution and national historic landmark. Dedicated to sparking community dialogue, insight, and inspiration, CMC was awarded the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 2012. CMC is one of only 16 museums in the nation with both of these honors, making it a unique asset and a vital community resource. Union Terminal has been voted the nation’s 45th most important building by the American Institute of Architects. Organizations within CMC include the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children’s Museum, Museum of Natural History & Science, Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater, and Cincinnati History Library & Archives. Recognized by Forbes Traveler Magazine as the 17th most visited museum in the country, CMC welcomes more than one million visitors annually. For more information, visit www.cincymuseum.org

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 58,000 members in academic, public, school, government, and special libraries. The mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all. Additional information can be found at www.ala.org/programming

About the National Endowment for the Humanities

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at www.neh.gov