[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 4, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1133]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING THE CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER

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                           HON. RAHM EMANUEL

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 4, 2008

  Mr. EMANUEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Chicago 
Shakespeare Theater on earning the 2008 Outstanding Regional Theatre 
Tony Award. The honor, presented annually to a non-profit professional 
theater company in the United States, recognizes the hard work and 
dedication of Chicago Shakespeare artistic director and founder Barbara 
Gaines and the entire Chicago Shakespeare Theater staff.
  The Tony Award for outstanding regional theatre was first presented 
to the Virginia Barter Theatre in 1946 and has been presented annually 
since 1976 to a theater company that maintains an unremitting level of 
artistic achievement while advancing the development of theater 
nationally.
  From its home on Chicago's Navy Pier, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater 
meets and exceeds that high standard. With over 600 annual performances 
during its 50-week season, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater reaches an 
audience of 225,000 per year. The theater has 20,500 subscribers and is 
the largest employer of Chicago actors.
  Founded by Ms. Gaines in 1986, the theater staged its first 
performance, of ``Henry V,'' on the rooftop of the Red Lion Pub in 
Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. Since that show, the theater has 
grown into one of Chicago's leading cultural establishments.
  In addition to its award-winning Shakespeare adaptations, the Chicago 
Shakespeare Theater reaches out to over 50,000 students and teachers 
yearly through a program entitled ``Team Shakespeare.'' This program 
aims to make Shakespeare more accessible to a whole new generation and 
will reach its millionth student this year.
  The Chicago Shakespeare Theater becomes the fourth theater based in 
Chicago, Illinois to earn the outstanding regional theatre title. Along 
with previous Chicago-area winners the Steppenwolf Theater Company, the 
Goodman Theater, and the Victory Gardens Theater, these theaters and 
others throughout Chicago make up an artistic ensemble that rivals any 
group of theaters throughout the world. Their work is a testament to 
the quality and commitment of those who write, produce, and perform 
theater in Chicago.
  Madam Speaker, I once again congratulate the Chicago Shakespeare 
Theater on this accomplishment, and I hope my colleagues will watch as 
the Chicago Shakespeare Theater receives their award on June 15th at 
the 62nd Antoinette Perry ``Tony Awards'' from Radio City Music Hall in 
New York.

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