FROM THE SIGNATURE ARCHIVES
“I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK WITH YOU ABOUT MY INTEREST IN YOUR THEATRE NAMING OPPORTUNITY.”
This sentence was the only message on an elegantly embossed note that arrived at Signature’s office back in 1997. It was
from the inimitable Peter Norton, whom I had just met a few days before at a reception at our newly constructed, but not
yet fully funded, 160-seat theatre on 42nd Street and 11th Avenue. Peter, now a longtime Signature trustee and dear friend,
soon gave us the first of many gifts, this initial one enabling us to not only finish paying for the theatre’s construction,
but also to add a marquee, proudly naming Signature’s new home “The Peter Norton Space.”
On the evening of our dedication ceremony, Peter visited my apartment prior to the event, saying he wanted to perform a
short “ritual.” He gave me a blindfold to put on, and then put a jacket on me. When I could see again, Peter’s next incredible
gift was revealed: the jacket and a matching tie were made from plaid fabric identical to the theatre’s carpeting! He also had
a set for himself, and we wore them all night, laughing throughout the celebration. Thank you, Peter, for your tremendous
contributions to Signature then and now, and for being one of the company’s truest—and wittiest—friends. – JAMES HOUGHTON
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