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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | October 20, 2016 10:35 AM |
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| From: | Representative Scott Conklin |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Resolution - November - William Shakespeare Month in PA |
| In the near future, I am planning to introduce a resolution declaring the month of November 2016 as “William Shakespeare Month” in Pennsylvania. This year, cultural and educational organizations from around the world have joined in the celebration of Shakespeare’s legacy, marking 400 years since the great author’s death in 1616. During 2016, in partnership with the Cincinnati Museum Center and the American Library Association, a national touring exhibit, “First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare” is bringing the First Folio to all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. An original volume published in 1623, the First Folio is the first collection of Shakespeare’s plays ever put together. This book, assembled by Shakespeare’s friends and colleagues, includes 36 of Shakespeare’s plays, 18 of which had never before been published. The First Folio is considered one of the most influential books in history. Without its publication, Shakespeare’s works might have been lost forever. Of an estimated 750 copies originally printed, just 235 survive today. The traveling exhibition, which also includes panels and digital content, exclusively features First Folios from the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., whose collection of 82 First Folios is by far the largest in the world. These original editions are among the most valuable books in the world, with one having recently sold at auction for $6.2 million. In 2016, the tour is visiting one site in each of the 50 states. In November, the tour arrives in Pennsylvania and will be located at Elizabethtown College, courtesy of the Folger Library in honor of William Shakespeare. The English-Speaking Union (ESU) of the United States and The Folger Library have partnered with the college and the two ESU Branches in Pennsylvania to hold a month-long series of free events surrounding this exhibit for children, teachers and the public. Among these is a “Teaching Shakespeare Workshop” to introduce teachers to the history and cultural significance of Shakespeare’s First Folio and demonstrate its use in the classroom. Teachers will be empowered to connect their students directly with Shakespeare’s language and provided with hands-on practice techniques that work with students and classrooms of all types. According to the National Endowment for the Arts, William Shakespeare, upon his death, was recognized as one of the greatest English playwrights of his era. Moreover, a contemporary of Shakespeare’s said of him: “He was not of an age, but for all time.” This statement has proven to have been “spot on,” as over the past four centuries Shakespeare has come to be seen as the greatest playwright in the English language. Please join me in celebrating William Shakespeare and his classic works, by co-sponsoring this legislation. |
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Introduced as HR1109