Evening star., 1939-12-08
Doctor Asks Support
OF Civic Theuter
Washington Patrons Urged to
Keep Light Of Culture
Burning Here


To the Editor OF The Star:
Attending the first production Of the
fourth season of Washington's Civic
Theater at Wardman Park, 1t became
evident that our Capital City is not
graced with a sufficient number Of in
dividuals whose taste would lead them
to fill the 400 seats available. This
is to be regretted for the Civic Theater
is supposed to be sort Of candle
whose glow has been infused into the
cultural consciousness Of theater lovers
all over the country. And yet some
how I cannot believe, especially in this
crucial era of cultural candle-snufnng
that Washington has not the ambition to
encourage such notable community
theater enterprise.
Still, those empty seats. and the
promise of others, must mean some
thing. The Civic Theater can exist
only along with participating audience.
so the problem Is to discover what has
happened, or is happening, to its au-
diences this year.
Has the program Of plays seemed
unattractive? Hardly. The choices are
new to Washington, and have run the
popular and critical gantlets of Broad
way survival. "Merrily We Roll Along"
for instance, ran five months in New
York, and was highly praised by the
eminent critic, Gilbert Gabriel Odets'
Awake and Sing" is generally considered
warm and enduring dramatic docu-
ment. As for the next four plays
scheduled, they are being picked by
voting from the audience.
May the fault then lie in our stars,
that is to say, in the players, and the
general level of production? Perhaps.
Yet last year Stage magazine, in award
ing It's palm of excellence to Civic,
said. "The 2-year-old Washington
Civic Theater gives promise of being
one of the most important and exciting
groups in the country" Last spring
Civic was chosen to play host to the
contingents of American community
theaters In their first annual convention.
More tangible proofs were the inspired
productions Johnny Johnson" "One-
Third of Nation" and yellow Jack"
which are still being discussed.
Can it be that the price of tickets is
too high? 1t is not likely. They are
cheaper than admission to a profess
sional theater-and the professional
theater is prospering bountifully.
Can the trouble be caused by its out
lying location at Wardman Park Hotel?
Again, that does not seem plausible. In
my experience a good show with COM
Portable seats is well worth a journey
uptown.
This leaves but one alternative, name
ly, that Washington Is possessed of too
little civic pride of accomplishment and
too much cultural aridity to bestir it
self for its own theatrical enjoyment.
A National Capital which accepts pas
sively the leadership of smaller and less
cosmopolitan cities in the matter of the
symphony orchestra. for example, simply
cannot be bothered with the crises Of
its Civic Theater. The citizens Of this
Capital go wild over a football team
in itself all right-but get no thrill out
of participating as co-workers within
social and cultural institution that has
already attained a vital distinction in
the field of fine arts.
Ali over Europe. the candles are most
ly out, and the forces of Europe are
dark and torn. In America, too, many
candles have been blown out, or snuffed
out, or allowed to die out. Some may
prefer to get along without them; but
as long as some are left burning, there
is not only light and warmth, but also
the impetus to light the rest once
more. The city of Washington should,
If I am tragically right about Its dis
regard for aesthetic cultivation, take
definite steps to render impossible the
dimming of its remaining tapers.
LEO v. SCHNEIDER, M. D.
Glenn Dale, Md.
December 5.