FOR RELEASE MARCH 15 - APRIL 1, 2016

Contact: Jessica J. Raver

Phone: 781-350-0647
Email: Raverj@merrimack.edu
Date: May 5, 2015
Currier Museum to feature Shakespeares First Folio
MANCHESTER, NH The book that preserved many of William Shakespeares
iconic plays will be on display in New Hampshires own Currier Museum of Art
beginning on April 9, 2016. First Folio: The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare is an
exhibit that enables the public to view 36 of the playwrights original works.
The document, known as the first folio includes many of Shakespeares iconic plays such
as, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, and As You Like It. Originally known as Mr. William
Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, the 900 page book was published
seven years following the authors death in 1623. Trusted colleagues of Shakespeare,
John Heminges and Henry Condell prepared and published it. The first folio is thought of
as one of the only reliable texts for many of the authors original works. Though the book
sold for a single pound when it was published, today the Folio sells for around $6 million.
As part of the 400th anniversary of the passing of the playwright, The Folger Shakespeare
Library in Washington has organized a traveling tour across the United States, stopping
in every state for a four-week display of the book. This unique exhibition aligns with The
Currier Museum of Arts goal of providing the public with, enjoyable encounters with
original works of art While the First Folio is on display in Manchester, its pages will
feature Hamlets classic line, To be or not to be. The exhibition will also feature an
interactive program and panels overviewing Shakespeares significance in the past and
present.
For more information about the Currier Museum of Arts presentation of the First Folio,
call 603-669-6144 or visit us online at www.currier.org.