NOTRE DAME — Shakespeare at Notre Dame will kick off “Shakespeare: 1616-2016,” Wednesday, Jan. 6, a yearlong series of performances, conferences and special events marking the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s legacy.

Events will be as follows:

“First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare,” an exhibition and tour curated by the Folger Shakespeare Library, has arrived at the University of Notre Dame and will open with a ribbon cutting ceremony tomorrow at 4:16 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 6, in the Hesburgh Library’s new north entrance gallery. The ceremony will feature comments from Notre Dame President Fr. John Jenkins and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

The exhibition, which runs Jan. 6-29, will be housed in the Hesburgh’s Rare Books and Special Collections gallery. Click here for a full schedule.

Week One Exhibit Hours and Tour Schedules:

• 4:16-7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 6, opening tour following the ribbon-cutting ceremony
• 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7, exhibit open with a guided tour at noon
• 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, exhibit open with a guided tour at 3:30 p.m.
• Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9., exhibit open with a guided tour at 2 p.m.
• noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 10, exhibit open with a guided tour at 2 p.m.

Free guided tours are led by Hesburgh librarians and curators. Meet by the entrance to the Hesburgh Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections department. Reservations are not necessary. Those planning to bring a group can contact the Hesburgh staff at [email protected] or by calling (574) 631-0290. Times subject to change; consult the Rare Books and Special Collections WEBSITE prior to your visit.

This Week’s “Folio Friday” Lecturer: Jesse Lander

Dr. Jesse Lander, Chair of the Notre Dame English Department Printed Shakespeare: Quartos, Folios and the History of Books, will speak from 4-5:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, in the rare books room.

Lander regularly teaches courses on Shakespeare, the history of books and humanism. In spring, 2010, Lander taught, “Mastering Research,” at the Folger Shakespeare Library, a course designed to help students take advantage of the Folger’s unparalleled collection of early modern rare books and manuscripts.

Lander is currently preparing the text of 1 Henry IV for the third edition of the Norton Shakespeare, writing a book provisionally entitled, “They Say That Miracles Are Past: Staging the Supernatural in Shakespeare’s England” and researching a second book-length project on the history of Shakespeare quotation.

Folio Friday lectures are free, open to the public, and located within the Hesburgh Library.