[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 124 (Thursday, September 19, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1348]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  HONORING A.R. ``PETE'' GURNEY AND THE OPENING OF BUFFALO'S THEATRE 
                          SEASON, CURTAIN UP!

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                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 19, 2013

  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate 
playwright A. R. ``Pete'' Gurney as he returns to his hometown to serve 
as the 2013 Honorary Chairman of Curtain Up!, the 32nd annual 
celebration of the opening of Buffalo, New York's professional theatre 
season.
   Born in Buffalo, New York, Mr. Gurney attended Williams College, 
graduating in 1952. After graduation, he nobly served our country as an 
officer in the United States Navy, where his writing skills were called 
into duty as his shows entertained fellow military personnel.
   Following his discharge in 1955, he began his studies at Yale School 
of Drama where he wrote ``Love in Buffalo,'' the first musical ever 
produced at the school.
   A gifted educator, Mr. Gurney shared his talents with students for 
many years, teaching literature at the Massachusetts Institute of 
Technology. Eventually, he moved to New York City to devote himself 
fully to his writing and the arts.
   His first play, ``Scenes from American Life,'' was produced in New 
York in 1968. In 1970, it received its world premiere at Buffalo's 
legendary playhouse, Studio Arena Theatre.
   The early 80's brought success with his play, ``The Dining Room,'' a 
comedy of manners influenced by his life on Lincoln Parkway in Buffalo. 
He continued to explore a wide range of familiar themes including 
rekindled love, family life, and confronting skeletons in the closet in 
other works including ``The Middle Ages,'' ``The Golden Age,'' ``The 
Perfect Party,'' ``Another Antigone,'' ``The Cocktail Hour,'' ``The Old 
Boy,'' ``The Fourth Wall,'' ``A Cheever Evening'' and ``Sylvia.''
   ``Love Letters,'' written in 1989, remains Mr. Gurney's most 
produced play with its two-character cast who sit side by side at a 
desk. The man and a woman who share their complicated, loving and 
lasting friendship through 50 years of correspondence has been brought 
to life by extraordinary actors, including Mr. Gurney himself.
   Mr. Gurney is the recipient of a number of awards for his work, 
earning membership into the American Academy of Arts and Letters as 
well as the Theatre Hall of Fame.
   More recently, several of Mr. Gurney's plays have been produced by 
the Flea Theater off Broadway where his latest work, ``Family 
Furniture,'' will appear this fall. His own family includes wife, 
Molly, four children and eight grandchildren.
   Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to honor 
``Buffalo's own playwright,'' A. R. Gurney. His authentic voice, crisp 
observations and creativity have become part of the fabric of the 
American theatre and we are sincerely grateful to welcome him home as 
the Honorary Chairman of the 2013 Curtain Up! Celebration.

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