093_HR0268

 
                                     LRB093 11626 HSS 15483 r

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS,  Pegasus  Players  has  been  bringing   quality
 3    theatre to the people of Chicago for 25 years; and

 4        WHEREAS,  Pegasus  is  committed  to providing theatre to
 5    those who have limited access to the  arts:  the  young,  the
 6    elderly, the disabled, and the disenfranchised; and

 7        WHEREAS,  The  theatre  consistently premieres plays that
 8    ask its audiences to take a hard and sometimes  painful  look
 9    at some of society's most pressing social issues; and

10        WHEREAS,  The theatre's Young Playwrights Festival builds
11    writing skills and self-esteem among thousands  of  Chicago's
12    high school students each year; and

13        WHEREAS,   Pegasus   made   theatrical   history,  and  a
14    significant  contribution  to  African-American  culture,  by
15    reviving the "lost" Duke Ellington review, "Jump for Joy", in
16    1991; and

17        WHEREAS, Pegasus has consistently  been  singled  out  by
18    composer  Steven  Sondheim,  who  chose  the  theatre for the
19    American premiere of his first musical, "Saturday Night",  in
20    1999  and  who  awarded  Pegasus  the  rights to be the first
21    theatre  in  Chicago  to  produce  "The  Frogs",   "Passion",
22    "Assassins",  "Anyone  Can Whistle", "Pacific Overtures", and
23    "Merrily We Roll Along"; and

24        WHEREAS, The U.S. Information Agency asked Pegasus to  be
25    the first American theatre to present musical theatre in West
26    Africa  (the  theatre's  1992  production  of "Bubbling Brown
27    Sugar"); and

28        WHEREAS, Pegasus  has  sought  to  overcome  barriers  of
29    culture  and  language  by  reaching  out to audiences in the
30    Middle East, bringing its productions of  "Side  by  Side  by
 
                            -2-      LRB093 11626 HSS 15483 r
 1    Sondheim" and "The Fantasticks" to more than 15,000 people in
 2    Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, and Morocco; and

 3        WHEREAS, The theatre's work with inner-city educators has
 4    touched  the  hearts,  minds,  and  futures  of  thousands of
 5    Chicago youth; and

 6        WHEREAS, Pegasus has received more awards,  including  67
 7    Jefferson  Citations,  than  any  other non-equity theatre in
 8    Chicago; and

 9        WHEREAS, Artistic Director Arlene Crewdson has twice been
10    named by the Chicago  Tribune  as  one  of  the  top  Chicago
11    artists  who  has made lasting and memorable contributions to
12    the arts during the year; therefore, be it

13        RESOLVED,  BY  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES   OF   THE
14    NINETY-THIRD  GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
15    we congratulate Pegasus Players on the occasion of  its  25th
16    anniversary and commend Pegasus for its continuing commitment
17    to  quality  theatre and to the people of Chicago and beyond;
18    and be it further

19        RESOLVED, That a suitable  copy  of  this  resolution  be
20    presented  to  the  Pegasus  Players  Board of Directors as a
21    token of our respect and esteem.