Shakespeare for the 21 Century: a Vision for the Next 25 Years (Continued)
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DRAFT SHAKESPEARE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY: THE NEXT 25 YEARS SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE FUTURE Advancing the Artistic Experience, Nurturing New Audiences & Sustaining the Shakespeare Theatre Company Shakespeare for the 21st Century: The Next 25 Years … Advancing the Artistic Experience, Nurturing New Audiences & Sustaining the Shakespeare Theatre Company Over our first 25 years, I am proud to say that the Shakespeare Theatre Company has helped to redefine classical theatre. Beyond the work of William Shakespeare, our definition – and mission – encompass the ancient Greek and Roman plays that inspired him, the works of his contemporaries and those who followed in his tradition, as well as those modern plays which, in our humble opinion, will become classics in the centuries to come. Classical theatre tells us about ourselves in a way that nothing else does, enriches our lives, helps us appreciate people unlike ourselves, makes us think and glories in the language that we speak. But without it going back into the schools and going to new generations of young people, it will be lost. It would be a terrible thing. I hope I don’t ever see that happen. Michael Kahn, reflecting on his 25 years as Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company, April 2011 2 CONFIDENTIAL DRAFT: Friday, July 01, 2011 Shakespeare for the 21st Century: The Next 25 Years … Advancing the Artistic Experience, Nurturing New Audiences & Sustaining the Shakespeare Theatre Company Introduction Michael Kahn’s visionary leadership of the Shakespeare Theatre Company over the last 25 years has provided artistic experiences virtually unmatched anywhere else in America. As a result, the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., is positioned as the nation’s leading classical theatre. We now stand at a threshold, looking ahead to define the steps that will further assure the Shakespeare Theatre Company remains a national leader while expanding our reach to an international level. Advancing the artistic experience for both the audience and the actors, nurturing new audiences within different constituencies and contemporary generations and sustaining the Shakespeare Theatre Company through sound financial and strategic planning are the vital components of the next steps. We have an opportunity to make a difference. We hope you share our aspiration for the viable future of the Shakespeare Theatre Company. As we refine our plans and prepare for this Campaign to raise $25 million in the next two years, your involvement and support is vital. Please join us and others as we make an investment to advance and position the Shakespeare Theatre Company for the 21st century. /s/ /s/ Michael R. Klein, Chairman Steven B. Epstein, Co-Chair Shakespeare Theatre Company Shakespeare for the 21st Century Campaign 3 CONFIDENTIAL DRAFT: Friday, July 01, 2011 Shakespeare for the 21st Century: The Next 25 Years … Advancing the Artistic Experience, Nurturing New Audiences & Sustaining the Shakespeare Theatre Company Table of Contents Campaign Executive Summary 5 A Record of Success: Celebrating 25 Years of Michael Kahn Leading the Shakespeare Theatre Company 6-8 Shakespeare for the 21st Century: A Vision for the Next 25 Years 9-12 Increasing Annual Funding to Secure Our Future 13-15 Call To Action 16 Giving Opportunities 17-19 Campaign Goals 20 4 CONFIDENTIAL DRAFT: Friday, July 01, 2011 Shakespeare for the 21st Century: The Next 25 Years … Advancing the Artistic Experience, Nurturing New Audiences & Sustaining the Shakespeare Theatre Company Campaign Executive Summary The Shakespeare Theatre Company has become America’s premier classical theatre company by demonstrating an unwavering commitment to excellence. Under the dynamic artistic leadership of Michael Kahn, the Shakespeare Theatre Company has expanded to national and international excellence in its state-of-the-art performing arts center in Washington, D.C. by mounting legendary productions, attracting a greater number of the world’s most esteemed actors and theatre professionals, broadening our main stage offerings and maintaining our commitment to providing access to a broad audience. During the 2011-2012 Season, the Shakespeare Theatre Company celebrates two significant anniversaries – 25 years as a theatre company and Michael Kahn’s 25 years as Artistic Director. He is recognized as America’s leading classical director and a legendary acting teacher, a man considered “synonymous with Shakespeare in Washington,” (The New York Times). Since taking over a small start- up theatre company performing at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Michael Kahn has been an agent of change in the Washington landscape. His arrival was a catalyst transforming Washington into one of America’s great theatre cities. He has made a huge contribution to D.C.’s flourishing Penn Quarter neighborhood first by moving the Shakespeare Theatre Company from the Folger Shakespeare Library to a theater in the Lansburgh in 1992 and then by opening a second theatre, Sidney Harman Hall, in 2007. Consistent artistic achievement has been his hallmark, reflected in more Helen Hayes Awards for producing plays than any other theater, international tours to Stratford-upon-Avon and Greece and widespread recognition. Michael Kahn has “molded the Shakespeare Theatre Company into the closest thing this country has to Britain’s Royal Shakespeare Company,” (Baltimore Sun). His artistic talents, coupled with the extraordinary dedication and commitment of the Company’s staff and board have allowed the Shakespeare Theatre Company to maintain excellence even while tackling recent economic downturn and the challenges of our growth into a two-theater operation. These achievements position the Shakespeare Theatre Company to celebrate this milestone in our history. We look to honor Michael Kahn’s legacy and build programs which will reinforce and secure the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s unwavering commitment to excellence in classical theatre in Washington, D.C., and across America for years to come. This case statement describes our rich history, outlines our current challenges, and reviews our plans to meet those challenges with exciting new programs that incorporate attractive giving and naming opportunities. Our goal is to raise $25 million in the next two years in our Shakespeare for the 21st Century Campaign. This Campaign has three important objectives: 1. advancing the artistic experience for the audience and the actors; 2. nurturing new audiences; and 3. sustaining the Shakespeare Theatre Company for the next 25 years. 5 CONFIDENTIAL DRAFT: Friday, July 01, 2011 Shakespeare for the 21st Century: The Next 25 Years … Advancing the Artistic Experience, Nurturing New Audiences & Sustaining the Shakespeare Theatre Company A Record of Success: Celebrating 25 Years of Michael Kahn Leading the Shakespeare Theatre Company The mission of the Shakespeare Theatre Company is to present classic theatre of scope and size in an imaginative, skillful and accessible American style that honors the playwrights’ language and intentions while viewing their work through a 21st-century lens. In addition, the vision of the Shakespeare Theatre Company is to seek to be an important resource to an expanded national and international community – as the nation’s premier destination for classic theatre, as a training ground for the next generation of theatre artists and as a model provider of high- quality educational content for students and scholars. In 1986, our Founding Chairman, R. Robert Linowes, had the foresight to engage Michael Kahn as the artistic director when what was then known as the Shakespeare Theatre at the Folger was about to close. It proved to be a phenomenal choice. Over a short span of time, beginning with his inaugural production of Romeo and Juliet, Michael Kahn guided the theater into national prominence. With our 1992 move to the 451-seat theater at The Lansburgh, The Shakespeare Theatre at the Folger became simply The Shakespeare Theatre. In 2007, the renamed Shakespeare Theatre Company ushered in a new era with the opening of the 774-seat Sidney Harman Hall, a second state-of-the-art theater in downtown D.C. The dual-facility Harman Center for the Arts allows the Shakespeare Theatre Company not only to continue our extraordinary classical productions, but to provide stages for other performing arts organizations in the Washington metropolitan area and noteworthy performances from across America and the world. Over Michael Kahn’s tenure, the Shakespeare Theatre Company has performed 135 productions, including every play in Shakespeare’s canon, for more than 2.5 million audience members. Our audiences have seen rarely performed works like Cymbeline and Titus Andronicus and fresh takes on well-known plays such as the 1997 “photo-negative” production of Othello starring Patrick Stewart and the 2009 production of King Lear starring Stacy Keach, set in the chaotic atmosphere of post-Soviet Yugoslavia. In addition, the Company has been acclaimed for performances of other classic plays (Peer Gynt, Lady Windermere’s Fan and The Persians), for identifying modern classics (Design for Living, Sweet Bird of Youth and Old Times) and reintroducing lost classics into the modern repertory through the ReDiscovery series (Don Carlos, Lorenzaccio and The Liar). 6 CONFIDENTIAL DRAFT: Friday, July 01, 2011 Shakespeare for the 21st Century: The Next 25 Years … Advancing the Artistic Experience, Nurturing New Audiences & Sustaining the Shakespeare Theatre Company A Record of Success (continued)