[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 82 (Wednesday, May 12, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E508-E509]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN HONOR OF THE YORK THEATRE COMPANY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 12, 2021

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay 
tribute to the York Theatre Company as it works to fully reopen. The 
York Theatre Company was founded by Janet Hayes Walker in 1969. Before 
the COVID-19 pandemic, the York Theatre produced nearly 200 musical 
theater performances each year, reaching over 37,000 patrons. During 
the coronavirus shutdown, the Theatre streamed an online series, so 
that its patrons could continue to experience and enjoy musical 
theater. Unfortunately, on top of an already difficult year for New 
York City theaters, the York Theatre Company's physical home was 
devastated by a flood caused by a municipal water main break in 
January.
  The unique mission of the York Theatre Company is two-fold as it 
aspires to produce new musical works, as well as rediscover musicals of 
the past. The York Theatre hosts several programs and activities that 
encourage musical theatre students to engage in Off-

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Broadway productions, greatly impacting the Off-Broadway scene. With 
programs such as the Mainstage Series, Musicals in Mufti Series, 
Developmental Reading Series, internship offerings, and a volunteer 
program, the York Theatre has made its mark on New York City's vibrant 
theatre community.
  Since 2015, the York Theatre Company has offered its Musical Theatre 
Training Program that brings together working professionals and 
dedicated theatre students. This program offers training in singing, 
acting, and movements, as well as master classes with New York's top 
theater artists. The York Theatre's intensive sessions are offered to 
students from middle school to college. Many of these intensives offer 
students an opportunity to perform on the York Theatre's Off-Broadway 
stage at the conclusion of the program.
  In the fall of 2014, the York Theatre celebrated its 100th Musical in 
Mufti with the production of Stephen Sondheim's Saturday Night. The 
York Theatre's Musical in Mufti ensures that lesser-known musicals of 
the past are performed and brought into new light for the enjoyment of 
modern audiences.
  All New York City theaters have faced unprecedented challenges over 
the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the important public 
health restrictions put in place, but the York Theatre also had to face 
the unexpected and heartbreaking flooding of their physical home. Faced 
with these ``slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,'' the York 
Theatre has shown its adaptability. It has produced and streamed an 
incredibly popular online series. New York--its people and its 
institutions--are resilient, and I am confident that the York Theatre 
will soon be able to reopen its doors once again and introduce new 
audiences to the joys of musical theater.
  The York Theatre Company has long been an incredible company that 
makes musical theatre accessible to New Yorkers of all ages and 
backgrounds, and I look forward to its full reopening. Off-Broadway 
theatre has played a pivotal role in making New York City the theater 
capitol of the world. The York Theatre Company has had a substantial 
impact on this great city's history.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to rise in recognition of the York 
Theatre Company, a principal in shaping New York City's theatre 
culture, as they celebrate the inauguration of their new theatre seats.

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