Michael Kahn (theatre director)
Encyclopedia
Michael Kahn is the Artistic Director
of the Shakespeare Theatre Company
in Washington, D.C.
, USA. He held the position of Richard Rodgers Director of the Drama Division of the Juilliard School
from 1992 to 2006.
Kahn was born in Brooklyn
, New York
where he attended the High School for the Performing Arts and Columbia University
.
Kahn’s career began off-off-Broadway
with Jean-Claude van Itallie's War Sex and Dreams and America Hurrah. After he directed several successful productions, including an award-winning Measure for Measure
and The Rimers of Eldritch
, he turned to Broadway
, where his first project, The Freaking Out of Stephanie Blake, never opened, and his second, Here's Where I Belong
, closed after one performance. Additional Broadway credits include revivals of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
, The Royal Family, and Show Boat
.
Beyond Broadway, Kahn has had success directing opera
and regional theatre
. In addition, he has held the positions of Artistic Director for both the American Shakespeare Theatre (in 1969) and The Acting Company
, Producing Director for the McCarter Theatre (1974), and founder and head of The Chautauqua Conservatory Theater.
In 1986, Michael Kahn became Artistic Director of what was originally The Shakespeare Theatre, now the Shakespeare Theatre Company
. During his time with the Company, Kahn has directed its move from the Folger Shakespeare Library
to the Lansburgh Theatre, the creation of the Shakespeare Theatre Company Free For All
at Rock Creek Park
’s Carter Barron Amphitheatre, and the development of the Company’s Academy for Classical Acting. Most recently, Kahn has overseen the Company’s name change and construction of Sidney Harman Hall
, part of the new Harman Center for the Arts
, which expands artistic opportunities for the Shakespeare Theatre Company
and other arts groups.
For his work, Michael Kahn has received the Saturday Review Award, multiple Vernon Rice Award nominations, a Tony Award nomination, a MacArthur Award, a Joseph Jefferson Award nomination, two New Jersey Critic’s Awards, the Daily News Critic’s Citation, and multiple Helen Hayes Award
nominations and wins.
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
of the Shakespeare Theatre Company
Shakespeare Theatre Company
The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C. Their self professed mission "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...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, USA. He held the position of Richard Rodgers Director of the Drama Division of the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
from 1992 to 2006.
Kahn was born in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where he attended the High School for the Performing Arts and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
Kahn’s career began off-off-Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway theatrical productions in New York City are those in theatres that are smaller than Broadway and Off-Broadway theatres. Off-Off-Broadway theaters are often defined as theaters that have fewer than 100 seats, though the term can be used for any show in the New York City area that...
with Jean-Claude van Itallie's War Sex and Dreams and America Hurrah. After he directed several successful productions, including an award-winning Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. It was classified as comedy, but its mood defies those expectations. As a result and for a variety of reasons, some critics have labelled it as one of Shakespeare's problem plays...
and The Rimers of Eldritch
The Rimers of Eldritch
The Rimers of Eldritch is a play by Lanford Wilson. Set in the mid-20th century in Eldritch, Missouri, a decaying Bible Belt town that once was a prosperous coal mining community, it focuses on the murder of aging hermit Skelly by a woman who mistakenly thought he was committing rape when he...
, he turned to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, where his first project, The Freaking Out of Stephanie Blake, never opened, and his second, Here's Where I Belong
Here's Where I Belong
Here's Where I Belong is a musical with a book by Alex Gordon and Terrence McNally, lyrics by Alfred Uhry, and music by Robert Waldman.Based on John Steinbeck's classic novel East of Eden, the allegorical tale centers on the Trasks and the Hamiltons, two families drawn to the rich farmlands of...
, closed after one performance. Additional Broadway credits include revivals of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams. One of Williams's best-known works and his personal favorite, the play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955...
, The Royal Family, and Show Boat
Show Boat
Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was originally produced in New York in 1927 and in London in 1928, and was based on the 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The plot chronicles the lives of those living and working...
.
Beyond Broadway, Kahn has had success directing opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
and regional theatre
Regional theatre in the United States
Regional theaters, or resident theaters, in the United States are professional or semi-professional, theater companies that produce their own seasons. The term regional theatre most often refers to professional theatres outside of New York City...
. In addition, he has held the positions of Artistic Director for both the American Shakespeare Theatre (in 1969) and The Acting Company
The Acting Company
The Acting Company is a theatre company associated with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1972 by John Houseman, then a professor of acting at the Juilliard School...
, Producing Director for the McCarter Theatre (1974), and founder and head of The Chautauqua Conservatory Theater.
In 1986, Michael Kahn became Artistic Director of what was originally The Shakespeare Theatre, now the Shakespeare Theatre Company
Shakespeare Theatre Company
The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C. Their self professed mission "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...
. During his time with the Company, Kahn has directed its move from the Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library
The Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It has the world's largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare, and is a primary repository for rare materials from the early modern period...
to the Lansburgh Theatre, the creation of the Shakespeare Theatre Company Free For All
Shakespeare Theatre Company Free For All
In 1991 the Shakespeare Theatre Company, under Artistic Director Michael Kahn, initiated its annual Free For All performances in Washington, D.C.’s Rock Creek Park. Each year the Company performs a show free to the public, usually from a previous season...
at Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park is a large urban natural area with public park facilities that bisects Washington, D.C. The park is administered by the National Park Service.-Rock Creek Park:The main section of the park contains , or , along the Rock Creek Valley...
’s Carter Barron Amphitheatre, and the development of the Company’s Academy for Classical Acting. Most recently, Kahn has overseen the Company’s name change and construction of Sidney Harman Hall
Sidney Harman Hall
Sidney Harman Hall is a theater located at Sixth and F Streets NW in Washington, D.C. It opened officially on October 1, 2007.Along with the existing Lansburgh Theatre, it comprises the new Harman Center for the Arts, the home of the Shakespeare Theatre Company...
, part of the new Harman Center for the Arts
Harman Center for the Arts
The Harman Center for the Arts is a complex consisting ofthe Lansburgh Theatre at 450 7th Street NW in Washington, D.C. and Sidney Harman Hall at Sixth and F Streets NW. Harman Hall is the latest addition to the existing Lansburgh Theatre to create the new "Center For the Arts". Construction began...
, which expands artistic opportunities for the Shakespeare Theatre Company
Shakespeare Theatre Company
The Shakespeare Theatre Company is a regional theatre company located in Washington, D.C. Their self professed mission "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...
and other arts groups.
For his work, Michael Kahn has received the Saturday Review Award, multiple Vernon Rice Award nominations, a Tony Award nomination, a MacArthur Award, a Joseph Jefferson Award nomination, two New Jersey Critic’s Awards, the Daily News Critic’s Citation, and multiple Helen Hayes Award
Helen Hayes Award
A Helen Hayes Award is a theater award named for the famed actress Helen Hayes to recognize excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are managed by Linda Levy Grossman. and presented by the Washington Theatre Awards Society.-Awards:The Helen Hayes...
nominations and wins.
External links
- Official Biography at Shakespeare Theatre Company website
- Credits, broadwayworld.com
- Internet Off-Broadway Database listing
- on Antisemitism Interview with Michael Kahn from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial MuseumUnited States Holocaust Memorial MuseumThe United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history...