The cast of Valor, “Agravio y Mujer” (“The Courage to Right a Woman’s Wrongs”). Photo by Peggy Ryan.
The first few days of Folger Theatre’s The Reading Room Festival 2025 shows that theatre is constantly evolving through new perspectives, cultural lenses, and artistic interpretations. This year’s festival is an ambitious showcase of workshops, readings, and discussions that explore Shakespeare’s adaptability across languages, genres, and time periods, while also spotlighting the contributions of historically overlooked women writers.
One of the festival’s standout sessions was a workshop led by Professor Alexa Alice Joubin of The George Washington University, who examined the enduring influence of “Hamlet” across cultures. She highlighted its presence in unexpected arenas, from “Star Trek,” where it was spoken in a fictional Shakespearean language, to comedic reinventions like “Shamlet,” performed by a traveling troupe in Taiwan.
The festival’s reach extends beyond academia. New York-based writer Jordana Jacobs attended as part of her research for a “Hamlet”-inspired novel, while Sherri Young, founder and executive director of the African-American Shakespeare Company, traveled from San Francisco with her team to explore new ways to adapt the Bard’s works through a multicultural lens. Their presence underscores the festival’s significance in fostering fresh interpretations of Shakespeare that reflect diverse voices and perspectives.
During a panel discussion, translator and playwright Christin Eve Cato emphasized Shakespeare’s longevity, attributing it to his exploration of universal human themes—loss, grief, parental struggles, and identity—making his works continually relevant across different cultures. Fellow panelist and Argentine-American composer, Julián Mesri, echoed this sentiment, drawing inspiration from Spanish literary greats like Lope de Vega, Calderón de la Barca, and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz in his own translations. His goal, he explained, is to preserve the heightened poetry of Shakespeare rather than dilute it with strictly modern vernacular.
Beyond reimagining Shakespeare, the festival also champions historical female playwrights who have long been overshadowed. Panelist Emilia Lyon introduced ExpandtheCanon.com, an extensive database featuring over 9,000 works by women writers. She highlighted “Valor, Agravio y Mujer” (“The Courage to Right a Woman’s Wrongs”), written by Ana Caro Mallen de Soto who was a contemporary of Shakespeare. It is a play in which a woman wields a sword to reclaim her honor—an empowering narrative that defies traditional gender roles in classical theatre.
The festival’s reading of “Valor,” co-adapted to a bilingual translation by Julissa Contreras, elicited audible reactions from the audience, with spontaneous gasps and laughter punctuating the performance. The play’s dynamic use of asides fostered an interactive atmosphere, drawing spectators into the story’s dramatic twists. Director Tatyana-Marie Carlo shared a key insight into bilingual adaptation, noting that “Shakespeare said everything three times. In translation, we say it once in English, once in Spanish, and omit the third….we also keep key plot lines in English and Spanish.” By blending languages with expressive physicality, the production found a balance between accessibility and artistic integrity. (Read our ‘A Quick 5’ interview with Tatyana-Marie Carlo here.)
As the festival continues through the weekend, it promises more thought-provoking discussions, networking opportunities, and performances for creatives, scholars, and theatre enthusiasts alike. In the spirit of the Bard’s timeless wisdom, it’s an event that demands attendance—after all, as Shakespeare once wrote, “Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.”
“The Reading Room Festival 2025” continues through Sunday, February 2, 2025 at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol Street, SE Washington, DC 20003. Students can enjoy free admission. For more information and to purchase tickets, please go online.
