Shakespeare Theatre Company



The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C. Their self professed mission "is to present classic theatre of scope and size in an imaginative, skillful and accessible American style that honors the playwrights’ language and intentions while viewing their work through a 21st-century lens". Their vision is to "endeavor to be an important resource to an expanded national and international community—as the nation’s premier destination for classic theatre, as a training ground for the next generation of theatre artists and as a model provider of high-quality educational content for students and scholars".

To support his mission and vision the theatre company focuses primarily on plays from the Shakespeare canon, but its seasons include works by other classic playwrights such as Euripides, Ibsen and Wilde. The company manages and performs in the Harman Center for the Arts, consisting of the Landsburgh Theatre and Sidney Harman Hall. In cooperation with George Washington University, they run the Academy for Classical Acting.

The company is a member of the League of Resident Theatres.

History
The Folger Shakespeare Library included a replica of an Elizabethan theatre, which was originally used for lectures and tours. In 1970, it was transformed into a functioning playhouse. The Shakespeare Theatre Company began as the Folger Theatre Group, organized to perform in this space. In 1982 the name was changed to The Folger Theatre.

In 1988 the company was reincorporated as The Shakespeare Theatre at the Folger and Michael Kahn assumed its leadership. The company stayed at the Folger for six more years. Changing its name to The Shakespeare Theatre, the troupe moved in 1992 to the newly built Lansburgh Theatre in the Penn Quarter. At the start of the 2005-6 season, it adopted the current name, Shakespeare Theatre Company. The company constructed a second theatre, Sidney Harman Hall, which opened in 2007 in the lower part of an office building in the quarter. At the same time, the two theatres were joined to become the Harman Center for the Arts.

Facilities
The Shakespeare Theatre Company has two current performance venues. The newer and larger Sidney Harman Hall occupies the lower half of an 11-story office tower. The exterior is distinguished by a glass façade curtain wall on a projected bay window. The 774-seat performance space can be configured as a proscenium, thrust, semi-arena, corridor or bare stage. The smaller Lansburgh Theatre is in the restored former Lansburgh's Department Store flagship store, originally built in 1882. The performance space is 451-seat classic proscenium stage. The seating arrangement is reminiscent of a Greek Amphitheater. It has been described as "an intimate space for dramatic theatre, ensemble music and dance"

In the past the company has performed shows at the Terrace Theater in the Kennedy Center, the Carter Barron Amphitheatre, and their rehearsal space on 8th St SE.

In addition to its performance spaces, the company maintains administrative offices, rehearsal studios, and a costume shop in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. A set construction and painting shop is near Catholic University in Northeast D.C. Finally a stage properties shop for the construction and storage of furniture, decorative items, hand props and a variety of set dressing items is located just outside D.C. on the northeast side of the city.

Classic theatre
The Shakespeare Theatre Company's self professed mission is "...to present classic theatre of scope and size in an imaginative, skillful and accessible American style that honors the playwrights’ language and intentions while viewing their work through a 21st-century lens". Their vision is to "... endeavor to be an important resource to an expanded national and international community—as the nation’s premier destination for classic theatre, as a training ground for the next generation of theatre artists and as a model provider of high-quality educational content for students and scholars.

Artistic Directors

 * Richmond Crinkley (1970-1973) (While Folger Theatre Group)
 * Louis W. Scheeder (1973-1980) (While Folger Theatre Group)
 * John Neville-Andrews (1980-1986) (Name changed to Folger Theatre then Shakespeare Theatre at the Folger)
 * Michael Kahn (1986–present) (While Shakespeare Theatre at the Folger, then Shakespeare Theatre Company)

Current and recent productions
Resident theatre company pioneer Zelda Fichandler has stated that for theatre companies "repertory is destiny" - a theatre company acquires its audience by the productions it presents. True to its name, most of The Shakespeare Theatre Company's productions are from The Bard's canon. However each year up to half of the productions are classical works by other authors. The oldest has been Aeschylus's The Persians, the oldest surviving play in the history of theatre. The youngest plays include works by Tennessee Williams (Camino Real, Sweet Bird of Youth) and Harold Pinter (Old Times). The company has also produced modern interpretations of classical texts such as Mary Zimmerman's Argonautika (adapted from The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts).


 * Current and recent productions include:


 * 2011-2012 Season
 * (Michael Kahn's 25th Anniversary )


 * Full stage production series
 * The Heir Apparent by Jean-François Regnard translated by David Ives
 * Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
 * The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare
 * Strange Interlude by Eugene O'Neill
 * The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni
 * The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare


 * Musical in Concert series
 * The Boys from Syracuse by Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart and George Abbott
 * Two Gentlemen of Verona, A Rock Opera, by John Guare, Mel Shapiro and Galt MacDermot


 * 2010-2011 Season
 * The following were produced by The Shakespeare Theatre Company:
 * All's Well That Ends Well, by William Shakespeare
 * Candide, by Leonard Bernstein based on the novella by Voltaire
 * Cymbeline, by William Shakespeare
 * An Ideal Husband, by Oscar Wilde
 * Old Times, by Harold Pinter
 * The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare


 * The following were produced by other theatre companies and presented in Washington by the Shakespeare Theatre Company:
 * The Great Game: Afghanistan' short plays by many authors - produced by the Tricycle Theatre in London
 * Black Watch, by Gregory Burke - produced by National Theatre of Scotland


 * 2009-2010 Season
 * The following were produced by The Shakespeare Theatre Company:
 * The Alchemist by Ben Jonson
 * As You Like It - by William Shakespeare
 * Richard II by William Shakespeare
 * Henry V by William Shakespeare
 * The Liar by Pierre Corneille translated by David Ives
 * Mrs. Warren's Profession by George Bernard Shaw


 * The following was produced by The Royal National Theatre (Great Britain) and presented in Washington by the Shakespeare Theatre Company:
 * Phèdre by Jean Racine featuring Helen Mirren

Notable Guest Artists
In addition to its troupe of regular and frequently appearing actors, The Shakespeare Theatre Company invites guest performers and directors each season.


 * Rene Auberjonois - The Imaginary Invalid (Argan)
 * Jane Alexander - Ghosts (Mrs. Alving)
 * Elizabeth Ashley - Mrs. Warren's Profession (Mrs Warren), The Little Foxes (Regina)
 * Keith Baxter - Actor Measure For Measure (Duke Vincentio); Director (Lady Windermere's Fan, The Imaginary Invalid, The Rivals, The Country Wife, Henry IV, Part 1, An Ideal Husband)
 * André Braugher - Othello (Iago)
 * Avery Brooks - Othello (Othello), The Oedipus Plays (Oedipus), Tamburlaine (Tamburlaine)
 * Dixie Carter - Lady Windermere's Fan (Mrs. Erlynne)
 * Jeffrey Carlson - Hamlet (Hamlet)
 * Pat Carroll - Romeo and Juliet (Nurse), The Merry Wives of Windsor (Falstaff), Mother Courage and Her Children (Mother Courage), Volpone (Volpone)
 * Gale Edwards - Director (Edward II, Titus Andronicus, Richard III, Hamlet)
 * Harry Hamlin - Henry V (Henry V)
 * Hal Holbrook - Merchant of Venice (Shylock)
 * Tom Hulce - Hamlet (Hamlet)
 * Stacy Keach - Richard III (Richard), King Lear (Lear)
 * Sabrina LeBeauf
 * Kelly McGillis - Merchant of Venice (Portia), Twelfth Night (Viola), Mourning Becomes Electra (Lavinia),  MacBeth (Lady MacBeth), The Duchess of Malfi (Duchess), As You Like It (Rosalind), Measure for Measure (Isabella), All's Well That Ends Well (Helena),  Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice)
 * Ethan McSweeny - Director (Major Barbara, The Persians, Ion )
 * Geoffrey Owens
 * Jean Stapleton
 * Patrick Stewart
 * Rebecca Bayla Taichman - Director (The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night Cymbeline)
 * Richard Thomas
 * Paul Winfield
 * Mary Zimmerman - Director (Pericles, Argonautika, Candide)

The Oedipus Plays at the Athens Festival
After seeing The Shakespeare Theater Company's production of The Oedipus Plays in September 2001, officials from the Greek Embassy in Washington arranged for an invitation to the company to perform it as part of the 2003 Athens Festival. The show was a single-evening adaption by Michael Kahn of Sophocles' three plays Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone. He changed the setting from Greece to central Africa, and used an all-black cast headed by Avery Brooks. The performance was on 10–11 September 2003 in the semicircular 5,000-seat Odeon theater on the south slope of the Acropolis. As an historical footnote, the original production had just opened the week before the September 11 attacks. After a single performance cancellation that night, the show went on the next night (9/12) with a new meaning for cast and audience. The second Athens' performance was two years to the day after the attack.

Love's Labor's Lost at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Complete Works Festival
The Shakespeare Theatre Company took its production of Love’s Labor’s Lost to England to participate in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Complete Works Festival. Performances were from August 17 to 26, 2006 in the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Shakespeare in Washington Festival
From January through June 2007 The Shakespeare Theatre co-hosted the International Shakespeare in Washington Festival. This celebration was conceived by Michael Kaiser, President of the Kennedy Center, and was curated by Michael Kahn. Over 60 arts organizations produced over 100 presentations.

Special Performances of The Great Game: Afghanistan
At the request of US Department of Defense officials and with support funding from private sources, the Shakespeare Theatre Company donated Harman Hall and provided logistical support for two all-day special performances of the full cycle of The Great Game: Afghanistan. The 10–11 February 2011 performances were offered free to soldiers, wounded veterans and government officials in the Washington DC area.

Awards
The Shakespeare Theatre Company both presents and receives awards. Annually it presents The Will Award and The Emery Battis award. Additionally it regularly receives awards for its productions

The Will Awards
The William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre (The Will Award) has been presented by the Shakespeare Theatre Company since 1988. The Will Award is an annual honor to recognize an artist who has made a significant contribution to classical theatre in America. It is the Theatre’s tribute, expressing its desire to promote the ongoing process of renewal and invigoration for classical theatre across the nation, in regional and commercial theatres, the media, schools and homes. The honorees exemplify the importance of recognizing the richness of the past coinciding with the excitement of the moment through the magic of classics in performance. Since at least 2008 the award ceremony has been held under the patronage of His Excellency the British Ambassador and Lady Sheinwald.

Recipients:

1988 – Joseph Papp

1989 – Kevin Kline

1990 – Christopher Plummer

1991 – Kenneth Branagh

1992 – Mel Gibson

1993 – Morgan Freeman

1994 – Christopher Walken

1995 – Lynn Redgrave

1996 – Sam Waterston

1997 – Patrick Stewart

1998 – Hal Holbrook

1999 – Dame Maggie Smith

2000 – Sir Anthony Hopkins

2001 – Ralph Fiennes

2002 – Michael Kahn

2003 – Fiona Shaw

2004 – Dame Judy Dench

2005 – Jeremy Irons

2006 – Kevin Spacey

2007 – The Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Acting Company

2008 – Rennie Harris, Peter Martins and Chita Rivera

2009 – Sir Ian McKellen

2010 – Annette Bening

The Emery Battis Awards
The Emery Battis Award for Acting Excellence is presented annually at the first opening night of the new season to recognize two actors whose work in a mainstage production demonstrates outstanding classical technique. The award is funded by an anonymous donor and includes a cash prize. It is named for the long time and beloved Shakespeare Theatre Company Actor Emery Battis.

Award recipients include:

Received Awards
Over the past 20 years, the Shakespeare Theatre Company has won 55 Helen Hayes Awards for acting, directing and technical achievements.

The Wall Street Journal has heralded the company as "the nation's foremost Shakespeare company"


 * 2011, the Christian Science Monitor printed, "The Shakespeare Theatre: The best classical theater in the country, bar none."


 * 2007, the New York Times said, the Shakespeare Theatre has "a repertory of classics that no New York theater of similar size and scale can match."

Free for All
In 1991, the Shakespeare Theatre Company began its annual Free For All productions at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre in D.C.'s Rock Creek Park. Each summer the company remounts a production from the previous season at the Amphitheatre. These free performances attract D.C.-area residents of all backgrounds and income levels.

Rediscovery Series
Works for the ReDiscovery Series are chosen by Artistic Director Michael Kahn and presented under the direction of Shakespeare Theatre artistic staff. Guest artists join members of the Shakespeare Theatre Company and the Washington theatrical community to investigate these great but lesser known plays of world literature. The readings occur at the Lansburgh on at least three Mondays throughout the year and are hosted by company member Ted van Griethuysen. Guest scholars, translators and adaptors involved with the evening's reading also frequently participate in the rehearsal, performance and occasional post-performance discussion when time permits.

Academy for Classical Acting
The Shakespeare Theatre Company and George Washington University offer a one-year intensive graduate program leading to a Master of Fine Arts degree. The curriculum focuses on the specific craft of acting Shakespeare and other classical texts. The Shakespeare Theatre Company provides world-class artists/teachers, a comprehensive training program and its reputation as a leader in classical repertory. George Washington University provides accreditation for an MFA degree, resources and strong links to the Folger Shakespeare Library & the Library of Congress. The program has graduated over 100 actors who are now performing on stages in New York, Washington D.C. and across the country.

National Theatre Live
The National Theatre (Great Britain) broadcasts live via satellite, performances of their productions to movie theaters, cinemas and arts centres around the world. Each showing is performed live in London, filmed in high definition and presented on a large screen in Sidney Harman Hall

Text Alive!
Text Alive is a rigorous in-school program that has helped almost 12,500 students and their teachers develop a greater knowledge, understanding and even love of Shakespeare. It is the Shakespeare Theatre Company's oldest running program. Each semester teaching artists visit classrooms throughout the Washington D.C. metropolitan area to engage students in weekly theatre workshops and an in-depth rehearsal and performance process. The goal is to work hand-in-hand with teachers and students to bring Shakespeare's words alive.

Students for Shakespeare
will expand theatrical opportunities not just for the Shakespeare Theatre Company but also for other performance groups as well