BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Penn Qtr -- Lansburgh Theatre: Shakespeare Theatre Company -- Backstage Tour

DC -- Penn Qtr -- Lansburgh Theatre: Shakespeare Theatre Company -- Backstage Tour:

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Description of Pictures: Backstage tour of Sidney Harman Hall andKing Charles III.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. LANSBS_170305_075.JPG: The guide explained that theater has a tradition of performers and crew collecting Elvis Presley-related chatzki that gets put on display. From https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1993/03/20/at-the-shakespeare-the-king-and-me/1a41377f-5eae-4c9f-a551-bc589e195a46/?utm_term=.4ef32bfa6f0f AT THE SHAKESPEARE, THE KING AND ME By Pamela Sommers March 20, 1993 Anybody who reads the tabloids regularly knows that Elvis is still among us. And he seems to turn up in the most unlikely places. For instance, Presley's spirit may very well be hanging out with the ghost of Hamlet's father, Banquo's ghost and other apparitions backstage at the Shakespeare Theatre. "This could be Graceland II up here," laughs James Latus, one of the theater's stage managers, referring to the kitschy "Elvis shrine" set into a hallway alcove just around the corner from the actors' dressing rooms. Latus, a self-described "keeper of the shrine," stands before this combination display and altar piece beaming like some goofy museum curator, pointing out the highlights. "Elvis would love it," he says as you take in the black velvet portraits of the King (a gift from business manager Sam Sweet), the "Saint Elvis" poster from the Seattle Rep, the Elvis coloring book, the photo of the "Swiveling Elvis Neon Clock," the commemorative stamps. There are dried roses, and candles. Also a dictionary entry that reads: "Presley, Elvis Aron. Known as 'The King.' " Cartoons and postcards galore. Someone has even pinned a red AIDS ribbon to one likeness of the deity. So how did this outpouring of adulation come to pass? "About five years ago, during a performance of 'The Beggar's Opera,' there was a loud noise backstage. Audrey Brown, who was assistant stage manager at the time, said, 'It's Elvis! Better make a shrine!' " That was during the company's tenure at the Folger Shakespeare Library; since then, the shrine has been transplanted to its swanky digs at the Lansburgh, and Brown, a Memphis native, has relocated to Raleigh, N.C., where she's set up her own shrine. But, says Latus, "the tradition continues." And proliferates. Latus, who divides his time between Washington and Manhattan, keeps a number of prized Elvis-related possessions in his apartment there. The Shakespeare Theatre production office boasts a small display of Elvisana on one of its walls. The company electrician usually turns on a big "Elvis Lives" light during the nightly vocal warm-up. There's even a "mini-shrine" that will be traveling to Princeton's McCarter Theatre for the company's three-week run of "Much Ado About Nothing," and then to Carter Barron Amphitheatre for the summer "Free for All." "Some people think I'm a little nuts," admits Latus, who, before the shrine's creation, never had much use for Elvis. "But I've grown to appreciate him. Actually, I'm more a lover of Elvis kitsch -- busts of Elvis, holographic lights. At Safeway I go through the tabloids, and my favorite thing so far has been a story about a pygmy tribe in South America whose members are all Elvis impersonators. They've all been airbrushed {in the photos}, with sideburns and guitars pasted on them." Latus is quick to report that the shrine is not only admired, but used. As various performers pass by before a show, they pause to intone a "Thank ya. Thank ya very much" a la Presley, sometimes in Italian or Spanish. And when "a show is going rough, we do go back and light those candles." As for Artistic Director Michael Kahn, Latus says he's definitely aware of this oddity, but whether he pays homage is another question. Seeing as how directors are constantly playing fast and loose with Shakespeare, setting his works in the Wild West or Little Italy, might there be room for an Elvis-era interpretation? "It hasn't come up yet, but what a good idea," exclaims Latus. "How about Elvis in his later years as King Lear, dividing up his record contracts? With Lisa Marie as Regan or Goneril?" Contributions to the Elvis shrine may be sent to James Latus, care of Elvis Shrine, the Shakespeare Theatre at the Lansburgh, 450 Seventh St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20004.
2. LANSBS_170305_099.JPG: Elvis' autopsy report. The cause of death noted on this report was "H.C.V.D. associated with ASHD" which refers to "Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease associated with Arteriosclerotic Heart Disease."
Wikipedia Description: Harman Center for the Arts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Harman Center for the Arts is a complex consisting of the Lansburgh Theatre (450 7th Street NW) and Sidney Harman Hall (SHH; at Sixth and F Streets NW) in downtown Washington, D.C., USA.

SHH is the latest addition to the existing Lansburgh Theatre to create the new "Center For the Arts". Construction began in November 2004 and it opened on September 15, 2007. Jack Diamond designed the theatre and Paul Beckmann of the DC firm Smithgroup designed the building that houses the theatre at a cost of $89 million. Both theatres are home to Washington, D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC), but the new theatre will extend its performance spaces to other local arts groups in the hope of broadening Washington’s appeal as an arts scene.

The Harman Center is named for the Harman family and former STC Board of Trustees member the late Sidney Harman, who provided much of the financial support for its construction. Michael Kahn, Artistic Director of the STC, serves as Artistic Director of the Harman Center.

Usage

The completion of the Harman Center allows the STC to expand its season to seven plays, four at SHH (which seats 755) and three at its current location, the Lansburgh Theatre (which seats 451), in addition to the Company’s annual Free For All, formerly held outdoors at Rock Creek Park’s Carter Barron Amphitheatre, but from 2009's production of The Taming of the Shrew, has been on the main stage at the Company's SHH in downtown Washington.

SHH will have multiple stage configurations making it adaptable to the needs of each performance while the Harman Center will make it possible to develop the existing STC's educational programs in order to reach even more local students. Performances and programs will be made more accessible with the availability of discounted tickets.
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