SJ5069: Commending Signature Theatre.
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 5069
WHEREAS, founded in Arlington in 1989, Signature Theatre is a Tony Award-winning, nonprofit professional theater that produces contemporary musicals and plays, reinvents classic musicals, develops new work, and reaches its community through engaging educational and outreach opportunities; and
WHEREAS, in 2007, after many successful years of operating in a renovated auto garage, Signature Theatre moved into an innovative new building that serves as a cultural anchor and economic engine for the vibrant Shirlington Village area in Arlington; and
WHEREAS, Signature Theatre attracts more than 86,000 patrons each season and is recognized as one of the nation’s best regional theaters with praise from local and national critics; and
WHEREAS, under the leadership of cofounder and artistic director Eric Schaeffer and managing director Maggie Boland, Signature Theatre has produced 38 world premieres and is renowned for presenting Broadway-quality shows in intimate playing spaces; and
WHEREAS, Signature Theatre has received 340 Helen Hayes Award nominations and 90 Hayes Awards for artistic excellence in the Washington, D.C., theater community; and
WHEREAS, Signature Theatre is a national leader in bringing world premiere musicals to life, and in 2007, it launched The American Musical Voices Project, the largest musical theater commissioning program in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Signature Theatre gives back to the community through education and outreach programs that engage the area’s increasingly diverse population and target those traditionally underserved by the arts; and
WHEREAS, Signature Theatre’s Signature in the Schools program also celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2014; a multifaceted program encompassing workshops for English, social studies, and theatre classes, Signature in Schools has directly enriched the lives of more than 15,000 students since its inception; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Signature Theatre for its ongoing contributions to the community on the occasion of its 25th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Signature Theatre as an expression of the General Assembly’s appreciation and admiration for Signature Theatre as a cultural treasure and invaluable asset to the Commonwealth.