Recognizing 2025 As ``A Chorus Year''

Floor Speech

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Ms. PINGREE. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to speak in celebration of a group of workers and artists who entertain live audiences in every state across the country: the theatrical chorus. I am pleased to recognize 2025 as ``A Chorus Year.''

From Oklahoma! to Hamilton, some of the greatest art to come out of the United States has been musical theatre, and a staple of this art form is the chorus.

The chorus has always been more than a group of singers and dancers filling up a stage. It is an integral part of theatrical storytelling, as well as a major player in labor history. The historic actors strike of 1919 that established union protections for live performers succeeded in large part because of the women and men of the chorus who formed their own union and walked off Broadway stages in large numbers to join the fight.

And 2025 is a particularly auspicious year to celebrate the chorus. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the merger between Chorus Equity Association and Actors' Equity Association into the Equity that exists today, protecting the rights of actors and stage managers in live theatre across the U.S.

I want to recognize not only the talent of chorus performers, but their great skilled labor and tireless work ethic. They make it all look easy, but their ongoing contribution to American culture and a healthy entertainment industry is born of fierce commitment and dedication to their craft. They exemplify the best of America: many people working as individuals to build something amazing together.

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