Classic Conversations with Michael Kahn to host Patrick Stewart
The Shakespeare Theatre Company is pleased to announce that Patrick Stewart will join Artistic Director Michael Kahn for the first installment of the Classic Conversation series to be held at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St. NW) on Tuesday, October 18, 2011, at 8 p.m. Classic Conversations with Michael Kahn is a series of discussions with classically-trained actors presented as part of the 25th Anniversary Season. Future guests and dates will be announced soon.
During this special anniversary season, the Shakespeare Theatre Company will not only celebrate the contributions of Artistic Director Michael Kahn, but also honor its mission as a classical theatre and cultural institution. Classic Conversations with Michael Kahn will provide an exclusive experience with STC's Artistic Director, as he interviews an exciting array of guest actors.
Audiences are invited to join Kahn for an evening of in-depth discussions on classical theatre and the craft of acting. Kahn, known not only for his rigorous and ingenious presentation of classical works but also for his signature charm and wit, welcomes these distinguished actors to STC for a chance to analyze and discuss the importance of classical theatre in today's society. This event will provide patrons with a look into some of the great minds of classical theatre.
Tickets for this event are $35. To reserve tickets or for more information, please call the box office at 202.547.1122, or go online to ShakespeareTheatre.org.
ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS
Michael Kahn recently directed The Heir Apparent, kicking off his 25th year as STC's Artistic Director. Kahn has directed a wide variety of Shakespearean and classical works for STC, including Old Times, All's Well That Ends Well, The Liar, Richard II, The Alchemist, Design for Living and The Way of the World. Having brought works of international significance like The Great Game: Afghanistan and Black Watch to the theatre last season, Kahn continues to demonstrate the versatility and relevance of STC's theatre programming with this season's productions. In 1991, he created the Free For All, which brings an STC production to audiences completely free of charge every year. The Free For All has reached more than 600,000 people to date. In addition to leading STC, he is also the founder of the Academy for Classical Acting at The George Washington University and the former Richard Rodgers Director of the Drama Division at Juilliard. Since the 1960s, Kahn's work has been seen by audiences across the country and the world: in New York City, both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, as well as at both the American Shakespeare Theatre and the McCarter Theatre where he served as Artistic Director concurrently. In 2003, STC performed his production of The Oedipus Plays at the Athens Festival in Greece, where it received standing ovations and critical acclaim. In the summer of 2006, the Company took Kahn's production of Love's Labor's Lost to the Royal Shakespeare Company's "Complete Works Festival" in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Patrick Stewart played the title role in the Shakespeare Theatre Company's "photo-negative" production of Othello during the 1997-1998 Season. As one of the leading Shakespearean actors, his other theatre credits include performances in A Life in the Theatre, Waiting for Godot, Hamlet, Macbeth, The Tempest, Twelfth Night and The Caretaker, amongst many others. Not only a talented stage actor, Stewart is probably most well known for his portrayal of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also has quite a number of film and television credits including Macbeth, TMNT, X-Men films, Frasier, Star Trek Nemesis, A Christmas Carol, Moby Dick, The Simpsons, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Gunman and many others. Stewart is also the founding director of A Center for Theatre, Education and Research and is a frequent lecturer at universities and colleges throughout the U.S. on the plays of William Shakespeare.