From the Folger Shakespeare Library, this is Shakespeare Unlimited. I'm Michael Whitmore, the

Folgers director. When pressed to say what they love most about Shakespeare, it's fair to bet that most people would tell you it's Shakespeare's language.

The beauty in his choice of words, the poetry, the familiar and famous phrases are what draws in above all.

So what does Shakespeare become when the words are replaced?

This podcast contains one answer.

Throughout 2016, to honor the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death,

the Folger has sent the 1623 first folio,

the first collection of Shakespeare's plays,

to all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C.

On each tour stop, host institutions have provided special programming

designed to offer their own unique perspectives on Shakespeare's

impact. One of the tour stops is right here in the Folgers' hometown of Washington, D.C.,

and that stop provided an unusual opportunity for our podcast. During the entire month of October,

the first folio is on display with a companion exhibition at Gallaudet University.

Galiadette, which has led advances in the education of deaf and hard-of-hearing students for more than 150 years,

is the world's only university designed to be barrier-free for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

For as long as Galiadet has been around, its students have been performing Shakespeare

without spoken words.

In presenting the first folio,

Galiadet has focused its exhibition, performances and programs, on the story of that challenge.

The exhibition, First Folio, Eyes on Shakespeare, was curated by

Gallaudet-Ed English professor Jill Bradbury. And in this podcast, she takes us on a tour of the

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