All the world ’ s a stage , and all the men and women merely players .
If music be the food of love , play on .
This above all , to thine own self be true .
Pomp
AND
Circumstance
Celebrating Shakespeare in Wisconsin 2016
By Natasha Veeser
All the world ’ s a stage , and all the men and women merely players .
~ As You Like It
If music be the food of love , play on .
~ Twelfth Night
This above all , to thine own self be true .
~ Hamlet
To think these phrases were almost lost to time . Thanks to John Heminge and Henry Condell , two of William Shakespeare ’ s friends and colleagues , the brilliant words of the playwright and his most famous plays not only live on , but are more celebrated than ever , including in the Badger State .
As the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare ’ s death is marked this year , the University of Wisconsin – Madison Libraries , along with its partners , the Chazen Museum of Art and the UW – Madison Arts Institute , have spearheaded the Shakespeare in Wisconsin 2016 initiative . The yearlong celebration honoring the influence of the playwright heads into its final act with UW – Madison serving as the Wisconsin host site for the Folger Shakespeare Library ’ s national traveling exhibition , First Folio ! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare , in November . Before the First Folio arrives , the partners have organized a prelude of Shakespearian-focused experiences across the state .
“ Shakespeare in Wisconsin 2016 is more than an exhibition of the First Folio . The UW – Madison partners have looked to the Wisconsin Idea as a framework ,” said Susan Barribeau , UW – Madison librarian and Shakespeare in Wisconsin project manager . “ We ’ ve joined forces with organizations throughout Wisconsin to bring to life a renewed view of Shakespeare through educational experiences , performances , and festivals .”
From high schoolers diving into the works of Shakespeare , to inmates describing how he impacted their lives ; from the relevance of Shakespeare between the struggling Hutu and Tutsi tribes featured in the documentary “ Rwanda & Juliet ,” to the ongoing study of the Bard at UW – Madison through “ Holding History ” events , Shakespeare is alive in Wisconsin .
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