Evening star., 1936-10-18
CAPITAL JOINS PLAY PARADE
Civic Theater Follows Lead of Other Cities Which Develop
American Interest in Community Productions, Allied
With National Consciousness.

able institutions The number Of paid
employees and of volunteer workers
varies in these four, and their methods
of management are not alike, but
all are community theaters, enlist-
ing the interest and talents and time
of the entire city. Open night after
night, they provide their audiences
with the best the theater has to
offer, and through their productions
and schools, they offer training to
all those really interested in working
in the theater.
The Cleveland Playhouse was or
ganized in 1916, and its theater plant
is valued at S325,O00. 1t has housed
as many as 500 performances in a
season. The Dallas Little Theater
came along in 1920. and when it OBJ
tanned its own home it found itself
in a theater valued at S150,000. The
mayor of Dallas issues proclamations
for Little Theater week, and as many
as 400 telephone calls have come into
the Dallas News Offices on one night
| to learn whether the theater had
won in a tournament held outside
the city.
The Pasadena Playhouse started out
in 1917 with small professional cast,
but this mixing of stock actors and
amateurs did not work, and the ven-
ture soon went completely amateur
except for its staff After a stormy
time, it began to find itself and within
seven years was so much a part OF
the life OF Pasadena that public spirit
ed citizens raised enough money to
finance its picturesque and elaborately
equipped present home. valued at
100000. In this building 322 per.
formances have been given in season
and TOO different plays produced on its
three stages. lie Petite Theater du
Vieux Care OF New Orleans Is a
quaint place, formed OF several old
homes of the Spanish section of the
city, made interesting by patios and
Spanish balconies. 1t is valued at
s175,O00.
Then there is Jasper Deeter's
amazing Hedgerow Theater in nearby
Moylan Rose Valley, Pa, Just about
the only real repertory theater in
America, where actors live together
and work together, playing a differ
ent show every night for most of the
Winter and Summer, and taking for 1t
only expense money and subsistence.
On a recent visit to their old mill
theater, which seats 167 people, We
saw a performance of Molnar's "Lili-
ON" Saturday night. a rehearsal Of
The Doctors Dilemma" from l to 4
am, a rehearsal of Shaw's THE
Devils Disciple" Sunday from to 4
pm. and an adjournment to the next
room to start rehearsing CANDIDA"
at 4:30!
These theaters and many more like
them in achievement-in Tulsa. Santa
Barbara, Buffalo, Chicago, Indian
apolis-though perhaps not in scope
and publicity, are the theaters which
are seeking to develop the new
American drama and to keep alive
the best of the old work and the new,
produced in both old and new ways.
They venerate tradition, but they are
not afraid of it nor of experiment.
They have not done so much to oe>
velop playwrights as have the Eu-
ropean theaters, but there is an in
creasing interest among them in the
folk play and the play Of the local
scene. Colleges and universities are
doing exciting work among writers,
technicians, directors and actors in
their constantly expanding drama de-
partments.
Duplication of this work can seldom
be found on Broadway and since the
practical death OF the road, almost
never outside Of Broadway and its
neighboring cities.
TO DATE. Washington has had no
l. part in this Nationwide the
atrical movements, though the Rams
Head Players, for whom the Ward
man Park Theater was built, made q
brave try at it. The Capital City has
watched its legitimate theaters drop
from five and six open every night to
q lone house, not always lighted
throughout the season.
Now, in the new Washington Civic
Theater, which has been campaign.
ing during recent weeks for suffs-
GENTLY widespread support to make it
really the city's theater, 1t has its
chance, If 1t wants to take it. WASH
ington's theater people and business
men and civic leaders have united TO
bring Director Day Tuttle and Tech
nical Director William Girvan, young
veterans of the best of university.
nom commercial and commercial
theaters, here, and they have found
the best available local talent to work
with day and night. The workshop,
the rehearsal hall, the costume room
and the ofice thrive with activity
there are sewing, acting, building.
talking. painting. designing, CHING,
hammering. ticket selling going on.
hour after hour.
Next Wednesday the curtain goes
up on the first of eight plays planned
for the first season. In few 5ca5o1s,
the Civic Theater hopes to offer its
own building and q program akin TO
Pasadena, Cleveland, Dallas, New
Orleans or any Of the others.
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