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45-644: 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 , Ibsen , Wilde , Shaw , Schiller , Coward and Tennessee Williams . The company manages and performs in two spaces: The Michael R. Klein Theatre and Sidney Harman Hall . In cooperation with George Washington University , they run

90-607: A Salesman , Uncle Vanya , A Doll's House and Six Characters in Search of an Author . Several of her Arena Stage productions toured internationally, including Inherit the Wind and The Crucible . From 1984 until 2009 Fichandler was chair of the graduate acting program and Master Teacher of Acting and Directing at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University . From 1991–94, she

135-616: A gala performance emceed by Sam Waterston and featuring ballet dancers Nina Ananiashvili and Julio Bocca , Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis , actress Patti LuPone , violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter , The Washington Ballet , Washington Performing Arts Society’s (WPAS) Men and Women of the Gospel Mass Choir and actors from the Shakespeare Theatre Company. At the request of US Department of Defense officials and with support funding from private sources,

180-756: A job at the National Bureau of Standards . Aged 8, she performed as Helga in Helga and the White Peacock at the Rose Robison Cowen’s Studio for Children's Theatre. Zelda Diamond's husband, Thomas C. Fichandler (August 9, 1915 – March 16, 1997), along with Edward Mangum, a professor of theater at George Washington University and Zelda's teacher, cofounded the Arena Stage theatre in 1950 in Washington. It

225-454: A main stage for shows requiring larger sets or cast, and one or more other stages (often studio theaters or black box theaters ) for smaller, more experimental productions. In addition to box-office revenue, regional theaters rely on donations from patrons and businesses, season ticket subscriptions, and grants from foundations and government. Some have criticized regional theaters for being conservative in their selection of shows to accommodate

270-489: 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: 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

315-450: A new Folger Theatre company to present plays in its Elizabethan replica. STC 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 761-seat performance space can be configured as a proscenium , thrust , semi-arena, corridor or bare stage. The smaller Klein Theatre (formerly

360-472: A play for the sake and admiration for the arts, turned to more influential and statement making topics – such as racism – as they gained a reputation. A list of her earlier premiers that got her to that point include: She Stoops to Conquer (1950), The Great White Hope (1967), Indians (1969), Moonchildren (1971), Tintypes (1979).  As time passed, the company developed a dedicated audience and it quickly outgrew its initial space. As audiences grew,

405-456: Is located just outside D.C. on the northeast side of the city. 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

450-634: The American Theatre Wing gives a Regional Theatre Tony Award to one regional theater each year during the Tony Awards . This recipient is selected based on a recommendation by the American Theatre Critics Association and receives an award grant of $ 25,000. In the second and third decades of the twentieth century, there was a push to get away from the conservative, mainstream ideology of Broadway. The Little Theatre Movement

495-797: The Asolo Repertory Theatre is a member of LORT and partners with Florida State University in operating the Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training . The two major organizations that help to maintain the general welfare of resident theater in the United States are the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and the Theatre Communications Group (TCG). These organizations encourage communication and good relations between their members and in

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540-669: The Folger Shakespeare Library and 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. 38°53′44″N 77°01′20″W  /  38.8956°N 77.0223°W  / 38.8956; -77.0223 Regional theater in the United States Regional theaters often produce new plays and works that do not necessarily have

585-573: The Kennedy Center . 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

630-821: The Royal Shakespeare Company ’s Complete Works Festival. Performances were from 17 to 26 August 2006 in the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon . 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. On 1 October 2007, Sidney Harman Hall opened with

675-676: The Argonauts ). In addition to its troupe of regular and frequently appearing actors, the Shakespeare Theatre Company invites guest performers and directors each season. The Shakespeare Theatre Company commissioned playwright David Ives to translapt (translate and adapt) a series of rediscovered European comedy masterpieces, as follows: All plays featured Ives's rhyming wordplay and were directed by Michael Kahn. The Liar subsequently opened off-Broadway, again directed by Michael Kahn. In 1990 artistic director Michael Kahn and black director Harold Scott cast black actors as Iago and Emilia ,

720-712: The Best Pulitzer Prize for drama. The Arena Theatre Company in 1976 also won the Tony for Outstanding Regional Theatre. In 1973, the Arena became the first regional Theatre to be chosen by the US Department of state to perform in the Soviet Union. She showed her production of Inherit the Wind, a play beginning with a man who is thrown into jail for teaching evolution. Fichandler directed numerous plays at Arena Stage including Death of

765-668: The Common Wealth Award for distinguished service in the dramatic arts (1985); the Helen Hayes Award for directing The Crucible (1988); and the National Medal of Arts in 1996. She was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1999, the first artistic leader outside of New York to be so honored. In 2002, Zelda delivered The Americans for the Arts 15th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy at

810-621: The Folger, later hiring Michael Kahn as artistic director. The company continued to perform at the Folger for the next six years. Changing its name to The Shakespeare Theatre, the troupe moved in 1992 to the Lansburgh Theatre (now, the Klein Theatre), a newly built space in the original Lansburgh's Department Store building in the Penn Quarter . At the start of the 2005–06 season, it adopted

855-479: 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

900-533: The Lansburgh Theatre) is in the restored former Lansburgh's Department Store flagship store, originally built in 1882. The performance space is a 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

945-654: The STC Academy. The company is a League of Resident Theatres member. Its current artistic director (since 2019) is Simon Godwin , who previously was based in London, serving as associate director of London's Royal National Theatre , associate director of the Royal Court Theatre and associate director at Bristol Old Vic . The Folger Shakespeare Library on Capitol Hill includes a replica of an Elizabethan theatre , originally used for lectures and tours. In 1970 this space

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990-608: The Shakespeare Theatre Company donated Harman Hall. It 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, D.C., area. 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 William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre (The Will Award) has been presented by

1035-557: The Shakespeare Theatre Company since 1988. The Will Award is an annual honor to recognize an artist who has significantly contributed to classical theatre in America. Since at least 2008 the award ceremony has been held under the patronage of the British Ambassador and his wife. Recipients: 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

1080-646: The black outsider with a white man in a black society will, I hope, encourage a much broader view of the fundamentals of racism." Ron Canada performed the part of Iago. During the Meet the Cast event before the production, Stewart remarked that he realized that while he had never performed this role, all of the principal male actors in the cast had. He would learn from them. After seeing The Shakespeare Theatre Company's production of The Oedipus Plays in September 2001, officials from

1125-530: The commercial appeal required of a Broadway production . Some regional theaters have a loyal and predictable base of audience members, which can give the company latitude to experiment with unknown or "non-commercial" works. In 2003, Time magazine praised regional theaters for their enrichment of the theater culture in the United States. Some regional theaters serve as the "out-of-town tryout" for Broadway-bound shows, and some will accept touring Broadway shows. Many regional theaters operate at least two stages :

1170-600: The community, as well as promoting a larger public interest and support of regional theater. There are currently 74 LORT theaters located in 29 states and the District of Columbia . LORT acts on behalf of its members in matters pertaining, but not limited to; collective bargaining with unions such as Actors’ Equity Association , United Scenic Artists , and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society , representation before government agencies on problems of labor relations, and

1215-532: The company remounts a production from the previous season. Until 2009, these productions were held at the outdoor Amphitheatre in Rock Creek Park. However, in 2009 the company moved the free performances downtown and indoors For a complete list of the productions, see Shakespeare Theatre Company Free For All . Works for the ReDiscovery Series are chosen by Artistic Director Michael Kahn and presented under

1260-470: The concept: "I've been imagining myself playing Othello and, in a sense, preparing for it, since I was about 14. When the time came that I was old enough and experienced enough to do it, it was the same time that it no longer became acceptable for a white actor to put on blackface and pretend to be African. One of my hopes for this production is that it will continue to say what a conventional production of Othello would say about racism and prejudice... To replace

1305-597: The current name, Shakespeare Theatre Company. The company constructed another theatre, Sidney Harman Hall , which opened in 2007 in the lower part of an office building in the quarter, and the two theatres were joined to become the Harman Center for the Arts . Meanwhile, after initially importing traveling shows from the Shenandoah Shakespeare Express the Folger Shakespeare Library developed

1350-522: The demographics of their subscribers and donors. Theaters that develop new work, like the Alley Theatre , Long Wharf Theatre , La Jolla Playhouse , McCarter Theatre , and Berkeley Repertory Theatre , often work to move their productions to Broadway venues in New York. They may also educate young audiences through educational outreach programs. Cooperative programs with nearby university theater programs are also common at regional theaters. For example,

1395-468: 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

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1440-490: The evening's reading also frequently participate in the rehearsal, performance and occasional post-performance discussion when time permits. 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. George Washington University provides accreditation for an MFA degree, resources and strong links to

1485-521: The handling of disputes between members and their employees or union representatives. The TCG’s mission is similar. TCG’s constituency has grown to encompass more than 700 members throughout the United States. They publish the American Theatre Magazine , the ARTSEARCH online employment bulletin, and dramatic literature. In recognition of the importance of regional theaters in America,

1530-518: 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." Resident theatre company pioneer Zelda Fichandler has stated that for resident theatre companies "repertory is destiny" – a theatre company acquires its audience by the productions it presents. Most of The Shakespeare Theatre Company's productions are from The Bard's canon . However each year up to half of

1575-436: The number of regional theaters had grown to 1,800. As non-profits, they rely heavily on donations from patrons, and some theaters have been accused of "pandering to the audience," subordinating their artistic ideals to the need for donations. Nonetheless, nonprofit theaters are under less pressure than commercial theaters. Zelda Fichandler Zelda Fichandler (née Diamond ; September 18, 1924 – July 29, 2016)

1620-450: 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

1665-611: The semicircular 5,000-seat Odeon theater on the south slope of the Acropolis . As a 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. The Shakespeare Theatre Company took its production of Love’s Labor’s Lost to England to participate in

1710-515: The theatre moved to "The Old Vat Theatre" which the company created in an abandoned distillery on the Potomac riverside. Then they eventually went to a larger theatre complex to get even more room in order to house the company. Harry Weese, FAIA and legendary designer of Washington, D.C.'s Metro System and stations designed the purpose built theater complex on Maine Avenue in 1961 and added to in 1972. Zelda Fichandler served as Arena's artistic director from

1755-469: The theatre's inception until her retirement at the end of the 1990–91 season. During that time, Arena Stage became known as one of America's premier regional theatres. In 1961, she was able to direct Howard Sackler’s interracial drama “The Great White Hope,” which starred then-newcomers James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander. It was the first play to start as a regional theatre production, then transfer to Broadway. The Broadway performance won The Tony Award and

1800-462: The trusted ensign who incites the Moor's fatal jealousy and his wife. With Avery Brooks as Othello , Andre Braugher as Iago and Franchelle Stewart Dorn as Emilia, the resulting production was critically acclaimed. In 1997 the Shakespeare Theatre Company produced an Othello in which Othello was white with an otherwise all-black cast. Actor Patrick Stewart approached artistic director Michael Kahn with

1845-529: Was a precursor of the Regional Theater Movement; it was started by theater artists interested in experimentation and exploring social issues through the dramatic arts. The movement altered the face of the American stage and allowed room for new works and new audiences. When the first national organization of nonprofit theaters was formed in 1961, there were only 23 regional theaters in the U.S. By 2003,

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1890-488: Was an American stage producer , director and educator. Zelda Fichandler came from a family that emigrated from Russia when she was an infant. Her father, Harry Diamond , was a brilliant scientist who created the proximity fuse . Zelda started working in pursuing sciences until the day that she spilled hydrochloric acid down her shirt and burned herself; she decided to pursue acting instead. At age 4, she moved from Boston area to Washington D.C. as her father accepted

1935-429: Was artistic director of The Acting Company . "Fichandler’s directing is characterized by intensive study and preparation. She all but psychoanalyzes the character she is studying and physically describes the emotions of the characters onstage with the utmost clarity. That is why she was so remarked for her ability to bring the actors to that level of excellence in her productions." [8] Her honors and awards include

1980-513: Was the city's first integrated theater, she hired actors and performers regardless of race or color. In the 1950s this was a huge statement as segregation was the norm. The first location for the Arena was at the Hippodrome, at Ninth Street and New York Avenue NW in a tiny former art-film cinema. The first production the company staged, was Oliver Goldsmith’s eighteenth-century comedy, “She stoops to Conquer”. Her first play started out as simply

2025-406: Was transformed into a functioning playhouse, and soon Folger Theatre Group (later The Folger Theatre) was organized to perform. After years of discussion, Amherst College , administering body of the Folger Shakespeare Library, in 1986 withdrew financial support for the company. To save the company, concerned citizens led by R. Robert Linowes reincorporated it as the non-profit Shakespeare Theatre at

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