The Shakespeare Theatre Company's innovative approach to Shakespeare and other classic playwrights has earned it the reputation as the nation's premier classical theatre company. By focusing on works with profound themes, complex characters and poetic language written by Shakespeare, his contemporaries and the playwright's he influenced, the Company's artistic mission is unique among theatre companies: to provide vital, groundbreaking, thought-provoking, vibrant and eminently accessible theatre in a uniquely American style. The Company annually produces eight mainstage plays in its two downtown Washington, D.C., theatres and one free play in Rock Creek Park's Carter Barron Amphitheatre. Artistic Director Michael Kahn has led the organization for 21 years, establishing the company as "the nation's foremost Shakespeare company" (The Wall Street Journal) and "the best classical theatre in the country, bar none" (The Christian Science Monitor).