Shakespeare at the Library: Worlds of Imagination

The Boston Public Library and Commonwealth Shakespeare Company presents Shakespeare at the Library: Worlds of Imagination, a series of site-specific performances throughout the historic McKim building.

The program celebrates both the brilliance of Shakespeare’s works and the beauty of the library itself, featuring scenes and monologues chosen for their themes of imagination, storytelling, and transformation. Performed “pop-up” style, the production unfolds across four iconic spaces within the library, with each staging inspired by the art, architecture, and atmosphere of its setting, highlighting the library as a place where history, creativity, and imagination converge.

Audiences will move through four distinctive settings across the McKim building of the Central Library in Copley Square, each selected to complement the scenes performed within it:

• Dartmouth Street Entrance (Front Plaza): The performance begins on the library’s grand exterior steps with the high-energy Prologue from Henry V, inviting the gathering audience to use their collective imagination to transform the historic stone facade into a gateway for storytelling.
• Sargent Gallery: Suspended beneath John Singer Sargent’s epic murals, this stop plunges into the striking existential depth of Hamlet, utilizing the hall’s towering architecture to amplify the Prince’s witty battle of wits with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and his iconic “To be or not to be” soliloquy.
• Abbey Room: Tucked away in this dark-paneled scholarly sanctuary, the tone shifts to brilliant comedy as Twelfth Night’s pompous Malvolio falls for a hilarious literary prank, discovering a forged love letter and debuting his notoriously ridiculous yellow stockings.
• Courtyard: The performance culminates here with Shakespeare’s most famous moment of theatrical imagination, the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, followed by a grand finale celebrating the richness of his language.

Performances will take place on October 6, 8, 13, and 14, with shows at 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM each day.

Each performance runs approximately one hour.

Audiences may choose to experience the performance in parts or follow the performers through the building, creating a flexible, immersive journey.

Registration not required, but highly suggested due to some performance spaces having a limited people capacity.

Accessibility Notice: We strive to make our events accessible. To request a disability accommodation and/or language services, contact the Programs department at programs@bpl.org or (617) 859-2129. Please allow at least two weeks to arrange accommodation.

Creative Team