Wednesday, June 3, 2026 • 5:00 PM ET
Sponsored by the ESU Hawaii and Seattle Branches
Did you know that Edwin Booth, brother of John Wilkes Booth (President Lincoln’s assassin), performed Shakespeare plays in the Kingdom of Hawaii in the 1850s? And he wasn’t alone. The Hawaiian Kingdom hosted many actors who came to the fabled islands to perform Shakespeare. Our guest speaker, Professor Mark Lawhorn, will speak on the history of Shakespearean theatre in Hawaii. He put together a detailed display on this topic for the exhibit of Shakespeare’s First Folio at Kapi’olani Community College in 2016.
This ESU Happy Hour is sponsored by the ESU Hawaii and Seattle Branches. ESU Happy Hour programs are online, free, and open to all members and the public. Registration is required.
About Mark Lawhorn, PhD
Mark Lawhorn is Professor of English at Kapi’olani Community College, Honolulu, Hawaii. In 2016, he spearheaded the acquisition of a copy of the First Folio as part of the national tour of First Folios in all 50 States to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. Kapi’olani Community College was the only community college selected to host a copy of the treasured collection during its tour. Lawhorn is the President of the ESU Hawaii Branch and is a member of ESU’s National Board of Directors.