[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 3, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E187]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF GERALD SCHOENFELD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JERROLD NADLER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 3, 2009

  Mr. NADLER of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 
life of Gerald Schoenfeld, who, as chairman of the Shubert Organization 
for more than 3 decades, was instrumental in revitalizing theater in 
New York and in making Broadway a national brand.
  The Shubert Organization owns and operates theaters in New York, 
Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. On Broadway, where it is 
preeminent in theatrical influence, the organization owns 17 theaters, 
most of which are in my Congressional District. Additionally, the 
Shubert Foundation provides major support to nonprofit theaters and 
dance companies across the country.
  Gerry Shoenfeld believed that the Shubert Organization was much more 
than a custodian of theaters. In fact, the organization invested in and 
produced many significant plays and musicals, winning numerous Tony 
Awards. With his friend and business partner Bernard Jacobs, Gerry 
Schoenfeld was involved in presenting or producing everything from 
popular blockbusters, like Cats and Phantom of the Opera, to critically 
acclaimed productions like The Life & Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, 
Amadeus, Dreamgirls, Sunday in the Park With George, The Real Thing, 
and The Heidi Chronicles. Again with Jacobs, Schoenfeld was 
instrumental in moving A Chorus Line from the New York Shakespeare 
Festival to Broadway, where it ran for 15 years.
  Gerry Schoenfeld knew all the players, big and small, in the Broadway 
theatrical community and in the world beyond it. His dedication to 
Shubert employees was legendary. He knew everyone from the box office 
workers to the backstage crewmembers by name, and often spent his 
Saturdays making the rounds of the Shubert theaters, personally 
ensuring that things were running the way he wanted them to.
  Perhaps one of his most important contributions lay in his tireless 
efforts to demonstrate how powerful an economic engine the theater 
industry is, not only for New York, but also for the nation. Still 
another achievement was his success in spearheading the effort to make 
New York's theater district and the surrounding Times Square area 
family-friendly destinations.
  A native New Yorker, Schoenfeld attended local public schools, 
graduated from the University of Illinois, served in the Army during 
World War II, and earned a law degree from New York University's School 
of Law. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 
and a faculty member of Columbia University's School of the Arts. 
American theater suffered a true loss with the death of Gerald 
Shoenfeld on November 25, 2008 at the age of 84.
  Madam Speaker, it is fitting that Gerald Schoenfeld, who left such an 
important legacy to Broadway and to America, be remembered and honored.

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