Evening star., 1942-06-03
Macbeth Production Takes
Fort Meade Soldier Audience
Evans and Judith Anderson Performance
Assures Burd's Drumo as Comp Entertainment

tain there are more than enough
to appreciate plays like this"
Yet those in charge wanted to
know what the audience thought of
Macbeth" And so cards were
distributed during the performance.
Many were collected at the inter-
mission, the rest at the close. These
were the questions:
Are you enjoying the play? Is
this your first experience at a
Shakesperian performance? Would
you like to see more dramas of this
kind acted in your theaters?
900 Want More.
Score: Some 900 answered yes
to the first and third questions.
There was not a dissenting card. If
any one didn't like the show, he
didn't have the heart to write it
down.
The only dubious note came from
a soldier who wrote that he liked
the show fine, but "the seat is hard"
Most of the spectators had seen
a Shakesperian play at some time
in their lives. But the most heart
ening circumstance to Mr.. Evans,
who hopes to tour Army camps
with the play, was the response Of
a considerable number who never
had seen play by Shakespeare,
but still liked this one. And Mr..
Evans looked over the cards before
he went to bed.
These were some of the responses
to the question. Are you enjoying
the play?"
But how. It's terrific. Tremen-
dously. Most definitely. A thou
sand times, yesl'
One boy wrote: "I am looking
forward to more such in the future. ="
Another responded that, while
he had seen other Shakesperian
plays, he felt tonight that he'd
never really seen one-so well was
this done.
Officers Also in Audience.
There were commissioned officers
in the audience, but enlisted men
were in the majority. 1t was ex-
planned that officers got the same
treatment in the distribution OF
tickets as privates and non-coms-
certainly no better, considering
their relative number.
A sprinkling of women also was
noticed. A post officer estimated
that there were 40 officers wives, 20
Army nurses, and the rest were
wives of soldiers.
Macbeth" had to compete with
three other camp theaters, all show
ing movies, two of them double
features, always popular with the
boys. But the MPs had to turn
away late arrivals for Shakespeare.
Backstage, after the final cur
tain, Mr.. Evans said he had been
highly pleased with the response
of the audience.
81 felt they were with me from
the first" he said. They listened
intently and sympathetically to
every line. I'm very much encour-
aged in my belief that serious
drama can be presented in the
camps"
Miss Anderson added: 81 don't
ever remember playing to more
responsive audience"
l 1t. Col. Young observer"
"And remember" Mr.. Evans sup
plemented, we've just completed a
long road tour, and we're accus-
toned to watching every shade of
expression in our audiences"
1t. Col. Marvin Young, chief of
the War Departments special
service branch, which has charge of
amusements in the camps, attend
ed the performance as an "cb-
server" and came away deeply i'm
pressed with its success and the
future possibilities of such amuse-
ments.
As Sergt. Milton Greenstein Of
the Medical Corps said:
I'VE ought to get more things
like this. A lot of fellows in the
Army like Shakespeare but don't
have the opportunity or the money
to see his plays"