Full Breakdown
Adjoa Andoh’s Folger Residency: A Push for Inclusive Shakespeare
4/26/2026, 8:20:20 PM
Folger Residency Highlights Inclusive Shakespeare
Adjoa Andoh spent a week at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., consulting its collection, programming, screening her 2019 Globe production of Richard II, and ending with a staged reading marking the 90th anniversary of the Federal Theatre Project’s all-Black Macbeth.
Background & Context – Career and Historical Roots
Andoh, 63, is known for playing Lady Danbury in Netflix’s Bridgerton and directing Richard III at Liverpool Playhouse and Rose Theatre Kingston (2023). Her work follows a lineage of inclusive casting, recalling the 1930s Federal Theatre Project’s employment of unemployed artists and its pioneering all-Black Macbeth.
Key Figures & Groups
The residency involved the Folger Shakespeare Library, home to Shakespeare’s First Folios, and Swinging the Lens, the production company Andoh co-directs to uncover marginalised histories. The Federal Theatre Project, funded by President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, provides the benchmark for the Macbeth reading.
Data & Statistics
Andoh missed two FA Cup semi-final matches to attend the residency. The reading marked the 90th anniversary of the 1935 all-Black Macbeth. Her 2019 Richard II production was screened during the week.
Why It Matters – Impact on Theatre and DEI
By pairing Shakespeare with an all-women-of-colour Macbeth and casting actors with disabilities and deafness, the programme challenges traditional casting and models a “rebalancing” that could shape future productions.
Official Statements & Responses – Andoh’s View on DEI and Casting
Andoh says identity-conscious casting addresses systemic silos, not tokenism, and talent should be judged without concerns about being “too blokey” or “too woke.” She notes DEI programmes have been rescinded in many U.S. states and corporations, reducing support for women and marginalized workers.
Criticism & Opposition – Debates Over Casting and Political Climate
Identity-conscious casting remains contested. In 2024, Globe artistic director Michelle Terry faced backlash for casting herself as Richard III, with disability advocates urging a disabled actor. Andoh’s comments on LGBTQ+ casting echo tensions. In the United States, President Donald Trump’s 2024 election sparked a “war on woke,” leading to cuts of federal DEI programmes and removal of symbols such as Black Lives Matter Plaza.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps – Unsettled Views on Representation
Sources differ on how strictly casting should align with actors’ identities. Andoh promotes a future where any talent can perform any role after “rebalancing,” while critics argue that specific representation—disabled actors for disabled characters or LGBTQ+ actors for LGBTQ+ roles—remains essential. No data on outcomes is provided.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I am missing two crucial matches to be here with you this week,” — Adjoa Andoh, Actor-Director
- “We all cried because it was like, I don’t have to be the only one in the room,” — Adjoa Andoh, Actor-Director
- “Andoh says: “DEI has been rescinded in lots of areas in the state but also in the corporate world and in lots places.” — Adjoa Andoh, Co-director, Swinging the Lens
- “At last Sunday’s lecture, she recalled: “There was a magic happening in that theatre space, a conversation between the writer, the actor and me that had transported and transformed me.” — Adjoa Andoh, Actress
