[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 169 (Monday, November 16, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2765-E2766]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SOCIETY HILL PLAYHOUSE IN 
                            PHILADELPHIA, PA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT E. ANDREWS

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 16, 2009

  Mr. ANDREWS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 50th 
anniversary of the Society Hill Playhouse in Philadelphia. Under the 
leadership of Deen and Jay Kogan, who founded the theater in 1959, the 
Society Hill Playhouse has become a home for important works by 
contemporary American and European playwrights.
  The Kogans met while students at Temple University and married soon 
after graduation. Deen carried a lifelong passion for the theater, and 
Jay, a former World War II prisoner of war, was soon bitten by the 
theater bug. After a year working in theaters in Milan and Zurich, the 
Kogans set out to create their vision of a theater community in 
Philadelphia.
  Over the last 50 years, the Society Hill Playhouse has delighted 
Philadelphia audiences with productions including Nunsense, Lafferty's 
Wake, and Menopause: The Musical. In addition to its contributions to 
the Philadelphia theater community, the Society Hill Playhouse created 
the Philadelphia Youth Theater, which for 25 years opened its doors to 
allow Philadelphia youth to have access to the arts and develop their 
skills.
  The Society Hill Playhouse prides itself on its appeal to ``people 
who don't like theater . . . or who think they don't.'' As 
Philadelphia's original public theater, the Society Hill Playhouse has 
made a lasting contribution to the design of new theaters throughout 
the Delaware Valley. Rarely does a theater extend beyond a location and 
become an integral member of the arts community, but the Playhouse has 
done exactly that. The Society Hill Playhouse brought a new generation 
into the theater, while producing hits and entertaining crowds for 50 
years.
  Madam Speaker, the Society Hill Playhouse has made immeasurable 
cultural contributions to the Philadelphia area. I congratulate Deen 
Kogan and her late husband Jay on accomplishing their vision of a 
premiere arts institution in Philadelphia, and wish the Society Hill 
Playhouse many more years of success.

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