Shakespeare Theatre Company

The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C.. The theatre company focuses primarily on plays from the Shakespeare canon, but its seasons include works by other classic playwrights such as Euripides, Henrik Ibsen and Oscar Wilde. It is a member of the League of Resident Theatres. The Wall Street Journal has heralded the company as "the nation's foremost Shakespeare company". [http://www.theatermania.com/content/theater.cfm/int_show_id/122329]

Artistic Director Michael Kahn took over what was originally The Shakespeare Theatre at the Folger (part of the Folger Shakespeare Library) during the 1986-7 season. Under the name The Shakespeare Theatre, the troupe moved in 1992 to the newly built 451-seat Lansburgh Theatre, its current location, at 450 7th Street NW, Washington, D.C. in the Penn Quarter, with administrative offices and rehearsal studios across town on Capitol Hill. At the start of the 2005-6 season, the present name, Shakespeare Theatre Company, was adopted. It constructed a second nearby theatre named Sidney Harman Hall, which opened on September 15, 2007. Sidney Harman Hall joined the Lansburgh Theatre in becoming the Harman Center for the Arts. The Harman Center, named for philanthropist Sidney Harman, will expand theatrical opportunities not just for the Shakespeare Theatre Company but also for other performance groups as well.

In addition to a troupe of regular and frequently appearing actors, Kahn brings acclaimed guest performers and directors each season. The Company also offers a number of educational opportunities, including its Academy for Classical Acting, a one-year Master of Fine Arts graduate program, and school and community programs such as Text Alive! and Students for Shakespeare.

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.

In August 2006, the Shakespeare Theatre Company took its production of "Love’s Labor’s Lost" to Stratford-upon-Avon in England to participate in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Complete Works Festival. From January to June 30, 2007 The Shakespeare Theatre co-hosted the International Shakespeare in Washington Festival.

Over the past 20 years, the Shakespeare Theatre Company has won 55 Helen Hayes Awards for acting, directing and technical achievements. The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a not-for-profit organization.

Notable Guest Actors

*Christopher Crawford
*Rene Auberjonois
*Wallace Acton
*Jane Alexander
*Elizabeth Ashley
*André Braugher
*Avery Brooks
*Dixie Carter
*Jeffrey Carlson
*Pat Carroll
*Harry Hamlin
*Hal Holbrook
*Tom Hulce
*Stacy Keach
*Sabrina LeBeauf
*Kelly McGillis
*Jean Stapleton
*Patrick Stewart
*Richard Thomas
*Paul Winfield

Artistic Directors

*Michael Kahn (1986-present)

2008-2009 season

*Romeo and Juliet - by William Shakespeare
*The Way of the World - by William Congreve
*Twelfth Night - by William Shakespeare
*The Dog in the Manger - by Lope de Vega
*Ion - by Euripides
*Design for Living - by Noel Coward
*King Lear - by William Shakespeare

further|Shakespeare Theatre Company production history."

ee also

*Theater in Washington D.C.

External links

* [http://www.shakespearetheatre.org/index.aspx Official Site]
* [http://www.helenhayes.org Helen Hayes Awards]