[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 24 (Thursday, March 7, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E304]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING THE AMERICAN CENTURY THEATER

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                             HON. TOM DAVIS

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 7, 2002

  Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge 
the American Century Theater, which is located in northern Virginia. 
Since 1995, this Arlington-based theater has been overwhelmingly 
successful in bringing different genres of theater to the stage, and in 
turn has greatly enhanced the quality of life for northern Virginians.
  When the American Century Theater realized the lack of visibility 
American playwrights have in the Washington DC area, it strove to 
encourage Americans to rediscover the extraordinary vision and wisdom 
of our past American playwrights. Regardless of the countless 
masterpieces created by our country's great writers, only a handful of 
classics could be found in local theaters. The American Century theater 
recognized the lack of family-orientated shows available, and 
subsequently set the theater's mission to become an experience for the 
whole family to enjoy.
  The American Century Theater focuses on plays that are at least 25 
years old, under produced, and contain a variety of form and content. 
The plays do not contain offensive language or graphic sexual behavior, 
and they frequently deal with current social issues--making them 
suitable for the entire family. The Theater has also shown itself to be 
nonpartisan and apolitical.
  In addition to providing northern Virginia with extraordinary plays, 
the Theater also maintains a strong dedication to serving our community 
in many other ways. StageThought is a special educational program for 
high school students and other youth groups that provide study guides, 
pre- and post-show discussions, and drastically reduced group rates 
that enable these students to attend plays that might otherwise be 
outside their means.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to congratulate the American 
Century Theater for its continued efforts to preserve American Culture. 
The American Century Theater is a local treasure and should be 
recognized for its integrity and laudable mission. I hope all my 
colleagues will join me in applauding them for their hard work in 
bringing American heritage to the theater.

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