Shakespeare Day

Published on April 17, 2025

On Saturday, April 26th, the Library invites you to share in our very first Shakespeare Day! This is an all-day celebration of the "Bard of Avon" and his work in honor of his birthdate on April 23rd.

Festivities begin at 9:00am with guitarist Darren O'Neill performing Renaissance music to welcome everyone.

Following the welcome hour, at 10:00am Professor Chris Ceraso from Drew University will lead the workshop “Shakespeare’s Architecture: 3-D Language in Performance.” A second workshop follows at 11:00am with Professor Ceraso and Drew University students presenting “The ABCs of Performing Shakespeare.” These workshops are best suited for attendees aged 13 through adult.

A midday musical interlude will take place at 12:15pm at the back of the Reader's Services area with “Shakespeare’s Songs” performed by soprano Sarah Pillow, lutenist Jason Priset, and actor Ian Gould. Selections include ballads and love songs with Shakespeare’s most famous poetry.

Following the concert, at 1:00pm, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey will present the masterclass, “Speak the Speech.” This adult class is the only event of the day to require registration. Those interested may register at https://tinyurl.com/stnj-masterclass.

The final event of the day at 2:00pm, will be the "Tri-State Shakespeare Troupe Presents: Page to Stage." The actors of the troupe will perform scenes and soliloquies from Shakespeare plays, including a combat scene. They will provide background about the scenes in historical context and bringing Shakespeare's written word on to the stage.

At 3:15, the end of our celebration will be marked with all in attendance singing "Happy Birthday" to William Shakespeare and enjoying some birthday cake!

In addition to these scheduled events, there will be fun, drop-in activities around the library throughout the day. These include some children's activities, letter locking, and fun with sonnets.

For additional information about Shakespeare Day, please contact Matthew Sisti at msisti@co.morris.nj.us or Annie Mizera at amizera@co.morris.nj.us; or call 973-285-6385 or 973-285-6933