Shakespeare Theatre Co Hosts Kevin Kline in Classic Conversations

Oct 19, 2011
Sidney Harmon Hall

The Shakespeare Theatre Company is pleased to announce that Kevin Kline will join Artistic Director Michael Kahn for the second installment of the Classic Conversations series to be held at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St. NW) on Monday, November 28, 2011, at 8 p.m.

Classic Conversations with Michael Kahn is a series of discussions with classically-trained actors presented as part of STC's 25th Anniversary Season. 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.

The first event in the Classic Conversations series was a sold-out evening featuring Patrick Stewart. It was held on Tuesday, October 18, 2011, in Sidney Harman Hall.

Tickets for Classic Conversations with Michael Kahn featuring Kevin Kline start at $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.

Kevin Kline has seamlessly transitioned between the worlds of theatre and film and has earned equal distinction in both. He has won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards, and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and an Emmy Award. His stage credits include performances in Cyrano de Bergerac, King Lear, Mother Courage and her Children, The Seagull, Measure for Measure, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry IV, Ivanov, The Tempest, Arms and the Man, The Pirates of Penzance, Loose Ends, On the Twentieth Century, The Three Sisters and many others. His film credits include Sophie's Choice, A Fish Called Wanda, Soapdish, Dave, French Kiss, The Ice Storm, In & Out, Life as a House, De-Lovely, As You Like It, Cyrano de Bergerac and numerous others. Kline is the first American actor to receive the Sir John Gielgud Golden Quill Award and has been honored with the Lucille Lortel Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2004, he was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame. He was also given the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Will Award in 1989.