back in a moment. >> rose: michael kahn is here. he is the artistic director of the shakespeare theater company in washington, d.c. he has been a lover of the theater and a lover of shakespeare all his life. in elementary school he started his own theater troupe. he came to the shakespeare theater company in 1986 and he has been there ever since. this season the company is celebrating its 25th year. kahn explains his endless fascination with the famed writer this way "shakespeare opens our minds. he helps us to see deeper and farther interwhat it means to be human. each generation shares that legacy and each generation has a responsibility to carry it forward." i am pleased to have michael kahn at this table for the first time as part of our series on shakespeare. welcome. >> great to be here. >> rose: i like that quote. that's exactly right. just tell me how you came to this... >> myself? >> rose: yes. >> well, i think... my mother was a russian immigrant and she was sort of self-taught and by the time i knew her she was a business