Evening star., 1933-02-26
A New Deal' for Theater
With Incoming ROosevelts
White House Family Fond of Stage and Screen,
and Interest Is Expected to Prove Big Aid
Special Attractions for Inaugural Week.
By E. de S. Melcher.

these yearly Actors Fund Bene-
fits, has promised that this will
be his swan song in this capacity.
In letting 60 the reins OF direc-
tions, he says that he "has auto
matically limited the term Of
office for his followers to 81
years." Mr.. Frohman having been
actively engaged in this business
for a full half century.
Washington will be Mr.. Froh-
mans last stand. He says that
it isn't because he is tired, or be-
cause he is anxious to give up
show business, but because every
man has to have a final gesture
in the climax of his life's work,
and he would prefer to have it
this way-a last performance (for
him) In honor of days to come
which he knows will be happier
and more fruitful for the public
in general.
And so Mr.. F'rohman is giving
this public what he hopes and
knows they want. He has linked
the past with the present and out
of his theatric hat he produces
those who have been idols of the
theater and those who are idols
today. A man who has revital-
lied the theater in the past, he
plans to revitalize it again for a
single evening. He touches his
wand to some kind of theatric
magic house, and out of it spring
not only actors of the legitimate
stage, but radio artists and screen
stars, playwrights and singers,
and those hundred and one per-
sons who constitute the theater
in all its guiseS and shapes today.
That Washington will give Mr..
Frohman in this "last stand" a
rousing send-off as we'll as a
hearty Eau revoir" there Is no
question. This is a cause for
which those who know and have
reverence for their theater cannot
afford to stay away from.
ONE of this city's pleasantest
" theatrical accomplishments is
it's ability to put fire and thunder
into the presentation of one-act
plays. The proof of this pudding
is the way in which various anna
teur groups have this year gone
about their business in the cur
rent one-act play tournament
which reaches it's climax this
Wednesday. Twenty-four groups
have taken part. Out of these,
more than a dozen have been not
only good, but very, very good.
With the result that when the
judges face the final few they un-
doubtedly will have a hard time
choosing the winner.
This contest started seven years
ago. Then, there were only
eight groups. headed by the Jew
ish Community Center. which has
kept up it's we'll earned and envi-
able theatric reputation ever
since. The contest in that year
took place in one highland was
over almost before it began. Now
Washington can be proud of the
fact that hundreds of players
take part in these contests, that
each group is anxious to be just
a little better than every other
group, and that the groups are
sitting the wheat from the chaff
and edging around toward pre-
senting the better kind of plays.
The more ambitious ones are writ
ing their own plays. Others are
sticking to the classics and the
semi-classics. But, if you look
over this years list, you will find
not only that the acting has been
far above the average, but that
there have been no plays which
were downright bad. And that
out of an average of "a should be
an almost 100 per cent perfect
record,
TOMORROW evening will be
Stoddard Taylor evening at
the National. The former host
and manager of the Belasco is
being given a testimonial" by
his friends at the first perform
ance of "Counsellor-a -at-Law." Al
ready it is said that most of the
house has been booked for this
friendly gesture in honor of one
of WaShington's most familiar
theatrical characters.