You may have heard the announcement by now, but if you’re a fan of the National Building Museum and of the Folger Shakespeare Theatre, you’re probably as excited as I am to know that this summer’s NBM Block Party Exhibit will be a Shakespearen playhouse, where you will be able to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream!!!!! The playhouse will be open from from July 4 to September 7, 2020; the production will run from July 7 through August 30, 2020. You can get tickets here starting on April 1. (You can buy tickets early if you’re a Folger subscriber, btw).
If you’re not familiar with any of these particulars, here is a short summary: Every summer, for the past seven summers, the National Building Museum has created a wonderful interactive exhibit within their great hall. Among the more memorable ones have been 2015’s The Beach by Snarkitecture– a giant ballpit “ocean” full of plastic balls and 2017’s Hive, a symphonic transformation of space by Studio Gang. Last year’s LAWN brought the bucolic magic of a suburban backyard, complete with hammocks and the sounds of summer.
But this year’s partnership with the Folger Shakespeare Library not only brings again the magic and genius of imagining big interactive spaces inside the majestic space of the NBM atrium, but it brings the wonder of Shakespeare’s words and a must-see evening event for summer. The playhouse will have all manner of Shakespearean-influenced activities, such as STAGE COMBAT.
Yep. This summer could only be better if we had faeries intervening in our love lives. Nope, scratch that. It’s already going to be a wonderful summer.
FYI: While the Building Museum will remain closed until March of this year, their magnificent store is open from Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you haven’t shopped at their store, you haven’t lived.