Honoree Bio

T. Randolph Harris has distinguished himself academically, in the legal field, and as a philanthropist. Randy received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University and went on to receive a Juris Doctorate and a Master of Laws in Taxation from the New York University School of Law. After serving an appellate clerkship and engaging in practice at other firms in the New York area, he joined the firm of McLaughlin & Stern as co-chair of the Trusts & Estates Department, where he has practiced for more than 25 years. Randy also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University, teaching Estate Planning in the Graduate Tax Law Program. In addition to the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Randy has shared his time and talent as an officer and trustee of numerous charitable organizations, including serving as Chair of the Advisory Council on Culture and the Arts of the Salzburg Global Seminar.

Randy joined the Board of the Shakespeare Theatre at the beginning of 1994, diving head first into the Act I capital campaign. That campaign was launched to transform the Bowne Theatre, a former gymnasium rigged to function as a theatre and lecture space on the Drew University campus in the 1960s, and where the Shakespeare Theatre began performing in 1972. From 1994 to 1998, with then-Artistic Director Bonnie J. Monte at the helm, the Board completed a successful $7.5 million campaign and completely transformed the building. In 1998, the curtain went up on the Theatre's 36th season, in the newly-renovated F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre. A decade later, Bonnie and the Board began the search for a centralized support facility to house the Theatre's education, production, and administrative functions, launching the capital campaign for Act II: The Legacy Project that resulted in the purchase and renovation of what is now the Thomas H. Kean Theatre Factory.

In his three-plus decades of board service to the Shakespeare Theatre, Randy has dedicated himself to the Theatre's success, not only through his important work on and support of two major capital campaigns, but by serving on numerous committees and as Chairman, actively lending his voice and leadership through countless board meetings, retreats, and planning sessions; through budget crunches, a ransomware attack, and a global pandemic; and through a successful transfer of artistic leadership to current Artistic Director Brian B. Crowe. Through it all, Randy has generously supported the Theatre and successfully encouraged others to do the same. Randy and his wife Barbara have firmly and forever established themselves as part of the Shakespeare Theatre family.

The Mighty Quill Award was established by the Shakespeare Theatre in 2002, the Theatre's 40th Anniversary season, to honor people or organizations that have demonstrated longstanding and extraordinary championship of the Theatre. This marks only the sixth time in more than 20 years that the Theatre has bestowed this honor, and we could not be more grateful and proud to recognize T. Randolph Harris with the Mighty Quill Award.