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IN HONOR OF THE YORK THEATRE COMPANY
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HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY
of new york
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, May 12, 2021
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the York Theatre Company as it works to fully reopen. The York Theatre Company was founded by Janet Hayes Walker in 1969. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the York Theatre produced nearly 200 musical theater performances each year, reaching over 37,000 patrons. During the coronavirus shutdown, the Theatre streamed an online series, so that its patrons could continue to experience and enjoy musical theater. Unfortunately, on top of an already difficult year for New York City theaters, the York Theatre Company's physical home was devastated by a flood caused by a municipal water main break in January.
The unique mission of the York Theatre Company is two-fold as it aspires to produce new musical works, as well as rediscover musicals of the past. The York Theatre hosts several programs and activities that encourage musical theatre students to engage in Off- Broadway productions, greatly impacting the Off-Broadway scene. With programs such as the Mainstage Series, Musicals in Mufti Series, Developmental Reading Series, internship offerings, and a volunteer program, the York Theatre has made its mark on New York City's vibrant theatre community.
Since 2015, the York Theatre Company has offered its Musical Theatre Training Program that brings together working professionals and dedicated theatre students. This program offers training in singing, acting, and movements, as well as master classes with New York's top theater artists. The York Theatre's intensive sessions are offered to students from middle school to college. Many of these intensives offer students an opportunity to perform on the York Theatre's Off-Broadway stage at the conclusion of the program.
In the fall of 2014, the York Theatre celebrated its 100th Musical in Mufti with the production of Stephen Sondheim's Saturday Night. The York Theatre's Musical in Mufti ensures that lesser-known musicals of the past are performed and brought into new light for the enjoyment of modern audiences.
All New York City theaters have faced unprecedented challenges over the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the important public health restrictions put in place, but the York Theatre also had to face the unexpected and heartbreaking flooding of their physical home. Faced with these ``slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,'' the York Theatre has shown its adaptability. It has produced and streamed an incredibly popular online series. New York--its people and its institutions--are resilient, and I am confident that the York Theatre will soon be able to reopen its doors once again and introduce new audiences to the joys of musical theater.
The York Theatre Company has long been an incredible company that makes musical theatre accessible to New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds, and I look forward to its full reopening. Off-Broadway theatre has played a pivotal role in making New York City the theater capitol of the world. The York Theatre Company has had a substantial impact on this great city's history.
Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to rise in recognition of the York Theatre Company, a principal in shaping New York City's theatre culture, as they celebrate the inauguration of their new theatre seats.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 82
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