Before the curtain rose on opening night of the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts’ (HSPVA) performance of “The Book of Will,” the actors, technical team and faculty advisors gathered on stage to greet a special visitor: a part of the First Folio, the first published collection of Shakespeare’s plays, from Rice University’s Woodson Research Center.
“It contains three plays: ‘King Lear,’ ‘Othello’ and ‘Antony and Cleopatra,’” Amanda Focke, head of special collections at Woodson, told the group. “It was published in 1623.”
“The Book of Will” explores the efforts made by two friends of Shakespeare who were determined to compile the First Folio to preserve the words that shaped their lives. Without their efforts, experts say it’s likely at least half of Shakespeare’s plays would have been lost forever. They ultimately borrowed, begged and banded together to print 750 copies of the First Folio in its initial run.
“Of those, it’s believed that about 233 still exist in public hands,” Focke said. “Even having a partial one is very special.”
Focke explained that each copy is different in some way, sometimes because of the handwritten notes in the margins or printing quirks such as typos and misspellings.
“They all have their own little idiosyncrasies,” Focke said. “They’re always interesting to see, whether they’re complete or not.”
The Woodson’s copy of the First Folio was only on display at HSPVA for opening night, while “The Book of Will” continues through April 19. To see the First Folio, you will have to pay a visit to Woodson at Rice’s Fondren Library.
“It’s just one of our rare books. It’s a very special one, but it is just part of our collection,” Focke said. “We’re open to the public like the rest of Fondren Library and welcome not only researchers but also those who are simply curious to see this incredible piece of cultural history.”
