Back by popular demand, the Aspen Institute presents Sharing Shakespeare, a moderated, roundtable discussion series that takes place one night a month for 6 months.  Beginning in October, the 2025-26 session will explore one of Shakespeare’s most significant works, King Lear.  We will focus the entire six-month series on one play, and by doing so, participants will read one act per month and share their insights and questions to reach a deeper understanding of one of Shakespeare’s most beloved and performed plays. Volunteer moderators will lead participants through lively discussions dissecting the intriguing scenes and characters in King Lear while uncovering themes that still resonate today.  Expert Shakespeare moderators, Carol and Ken Adelman will moderate and conclude the final session. Join us!

Dates and Times: 

Monday nights from 6:00–8:00 pm MT — October 20, November 17, December 15, January 12, February 9, March 9.

Location: Aspen Institute, Aspen Meadows Campus

Fee: $185, includes all sessions, light refreshments, and reading materials. Scholarships available.

Registration is now closed as the 2025-26 series has begun. Please email acp@aspeninstitute.org for more information.

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Module 1

Monday, October 20
Why It’s Clear Rupert Murdoch Never Read King Lear: A Shakespearean Case Study in Succession Gone Wrong
In this season’s discussion of Shakespeare, the group will be discussing one of the Bard’s most powerful tragedies, King Lear.  Our discussion for Act I, will center on:

• • Family dynamics: Who counts as family, who shouldn’t, and the complicated role of in-laws.
  • Bad faith actors: What it means to manipulate, deceive, and betray.
  • The peril of transparency: Why openness can be risky—and why schemers often come out ahead.
  • Leadership and legacy: Can a king ever truly retire?
  • Family relationships, including the people who should be family but aren’t; the people who are family but shouldn’t be; and in-laws.

King Lear, Overview and Act I moderated by Ted Frisbie and Sandi Kister

Monday, November 17
Storms Brewing: Power, Pride, and Betrayal in King Lear’s Act II
Act II of King Lear is where the storm clouds really start to gather—though not yet the famous storms to come. Edmund schemes his way into power, Gloucester is duped, Kent is put in the stocks, and tensions between Goneril, Regan, and Lear erupt into open hostility. It’s Shakespearean family drama at full throttle. We will dive into themes including betrayal masked as loyalty, pride unraveling into folly, and cruelty masquerading as strength. We will explore who deserves our trust – and consider transitions of power, legacy and estate planning!
King Lear, Act II moderated by Peter Waanders and Morgan Walsh

Monday, December 15
Into the Storm: Madness, Betrayal, and the Heart of King Lear
King Lear, Act III is the dramatic heart of the play, where Shakespeare shifts from political maneuvering to raw human suffering. As Lear wanders into the storm, stripped of shelter, dignity, and authority, the raging weather becomes an outward reflection of his mental collapse and spiritual awakening. We see disguises and deceptions (Kent as Caius, Edgar as Poor Tom) collide with loyalty and betrayal (Gloucester vs. Edmund, Kent vs. Oswald), while the daughters’ cruelty reaches new extremes. This act raises urgent questions about madness, justice, and what it means to be truly human when all external protections—family, power, and status—are torn away. Watch especially for how the storm reshapes Lear’s understanding of himself and others, and how Shakespeare uses physical violence and elemental chaos to push the story into its tragic depths.
King Lear, Act III moderated by Dipika Rai and Michael Onufrak

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Module 2

Monday, January 12
Buckle Up – The Drama Deepens
The plot, already thick with betrayal and heartbreak, continues to intensify as key characters cross paths once more. Two deaths mark this act, adding weight to the unfolding tragedy.

Blind Gloucester begins to sense the true identity of his son Edgar — the loyal “Good Brother” — who remains disguised as a madman. Meanwhile, the scheming “Bad Sisters” deepen their thirst for vengeance and discover they share romantic feelings for Edmond, the manipulative “Bad Brother.”

In a poignant reunion, King Lear and Gloucester meet. Though Gloucester, blind, recognizes Lear, the king does not immediately recognize his old ally. Lear, lost in madness, delivers one of the play’s most haunting lines:
“A man may see how this world goes with no eyes. Look with thine ears.”

And just when hope seems dim, Cordelia — the “Good Sister” — returns to search for her father, bringing a flicker of light to the darkness.

Stay tuned. The storm is far from over.
King Lear, Act IV moderated by Cathy O’Connell and Donna Grauer

Monday, February 9
Final Reckonings: Justice, Redemption, and Ruin in Act V
In Act V of King Lear the consequences of the main characters’ hubris, poor judgment, ambition, and betrayal come to full fruition. Redemption is sought out too late, justice is miscarried, and everyone suffers. The stage is littered with bodies and the audience is left to consider the role of Fate vs. Free Will and the nature of human existence. And yet, there is beauty among the ruins — in Shakespeare’s incomparable language, as well as in the bonds of love and loyalty that transcend tragic circumstances.
King Lear, Act V moderated by Julie Comins and Bobby Moyer

Monday, March 9
King Lear, Wrap up moderated by Ken and Carol Adelman