"Invite People In:" Karen Ann Daniels and the Folger Shakespeare Library

About this episode

Karen Ann Daniels discusses her role at the Folger Shakespeare Library and the new works festival, Reading Room, dedicated to contemporary interpretations of Shakespeare.

Karen Ann Daniels has so many skills, talents, and experiences, she could break LinkedIn. A performer, singer, songwriter, adaptor, educator, director, and leader, she has been the artistic director and director of programming at the Folger Shakespeare Library since fall 2021. In January 2023, she launched the Reading Room, a new works festival dedicated to showcasing how contemporary artists and scholars are thinking about and tinkering with Shakespeare and his ideas, breathing new life into the Bard's work. We discuss how her team finds, curates, and supports projects, as well as how audience members can actively participate in the creative process themselves. She discusses the 2026 offerings, future directions the festival might take, and her upcoming Folger directorial debut, As You Like It in Spring 2026. Learn more about the 2026 Reading Room , follow the Folger Library on Instagram, and Karen Ann while you're at it. Send Dex a text! Be sure to follow and connect with the show on Instagram: @theater_district

People in this episode

Host: Chad Dexter Kinsman

Guest: Karen Ann Daniels

Topics covered

• Shakespeare
• theater
• artistic direction
• new works festival
• audience participation

Keywords

• Folger Shakespeare Library
• Karen Ann Daniels
• Reading Room
• As You Like It
• theater festival
• audience engagement
• Shakespeare

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Folger Shakespeare Library

Books & works: As You Like It

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