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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E687]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE WORK OF MICHAEL KAHN
______
HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON
of the district of columbia
in the house of representatives
Thursday, May 30, 2019
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Michael Kahn, who is
stepping down from the Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) after 33 years
as Artistic Director, having revolutionized the performance of
Shakespeare and classical theater in Washington, D.C. Kahn helped to
transform D.C. theater from a small scene to the fastest growing
professional theater community in the nation, renowned for its variety
of theatrical productions.
Kahn believes that theater should be accessible and affordable to
all, so he instituted programs such as Free For All, offering free
performances of a Shakespearean classic to the general public each
summer, the Happenings Happy Hour, offers free performances of local
artists, musicians, and performers of a wide variety of disciplines,
and the FREE WILL program, offering free tickets for every STC
mainstage production in the season. Over 700,000 people have attended a
free Shakespeare play, and over 90,000 young people have seen student
matinee productions of classic works.
Kahn has built connections between classical theater and the
political life of Washington, D.C. with contemporary and urgent
productions of Shakespeare and beloved events such as the annual Mock
Trial, presided over by Justices of the Supreme Court. I have had the
opportunity to perform several times in Will on the Hill, a comedy
performance based on Shakespeare's works featuring Members of Congress,
fostering bipartisan support for arts education. STC serves students in
every traditional D.C. public and public charter high school, providing
in-school workshops, free supplemental materials and free or deeply
subsidized tickets and transportation to theatrical performances.
Kahn's dedication to theater education can be seen through his
various roles over the years, such as his tenure as Richard Rodgers
Director of the Drama Division at the Juilliard School and his time as
faculty at New York University Graduate School of the Arts, the Circle
in the Square Theater School and Princeton University. He brought that
expertise to Washington, D.C., where he launched the Academy for
Classical Acting, a one-year master's program at The George Washington
University, which has been preparing the next generation of classically
trained actors for 20 years.
Kahn's visionary work has brought national and international
recognition, including a Regional Theater Tony Award in 2012 for STC,
and personal honors such as an induction as Honorary Commander of the
Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and a Lifetime Achievement
Award from the Hall of Fame. During his Artistic Directorship, STC has
garnered 104 Helen Hayes Awards and 442 nominations, with Kahn
receiving nine wins for Outstanding Direction and an additional 12
nominations.
I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Michael
Kahn for his leadership, his theatrical innovations and farsighted
initiatives, and a life devoted to the theater.
____________________