Founder of 'Capitol Steps' Dies
posted 3:50 pm Wed December 19, 2007 -
Strauss was a Harvard-trained lawyer and Senate subcommittee staffer. He got the idea of forming Capitol Steps in 1981 after hosting a party that ended with a jam session around the piano in which party-goers riffed on parodies of Reagan-era newsmakers.
Months later, the group made its debut at the office Christmas party of Strauss' employer, Republican Senator Charles Percy of Illinois.
Capitol Steps initially consisted of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the people and places that employed them. They regularly performed for free at parties and in church basements.
Today, Capitol Steps is a three million dollar-a-year industry with more than 40 employees who perform across the country.
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