Shakespeare in Performance is a collection of over 1,000 digitized rare and unique prompt books from the Folger Shakespeare Library. Prompt books are important primary sources for studying production history, as they include textual revisions, stage directions, personal notes, cues for lighting and music, costume and properties notes, and other production details. There are over 1,000 total prompt books in the collection, including editions owned Charles and John Philip Kemble, Henry Irving, Ellen Terry, and Laurence Olivier. Several major productions are treated as case studies with detailed analyses. Supplementary materials include souvenir copies, ephemera, illustrations and drawings, photographs, music scores, and correspondence.
