Evening star., 1942-08-02
Plans to Be Made Thursday
For Local Stage Door Conteen
Belusco Theoter, Now Used to Store Files,
To Become Center for Sevicemen

Plans for Transforming a re-
pository for Government filing cases
into a dispensary of joy mon Gov
ernment issue) for servicemen will
be made here this week by some of
the theater's best known person.
ali lies.
The project at hand is the es-
tablishment in this city of a Stage
Door Canteen. modelled after the
canteen in New York which has been
keeping men in uniform happy for
the past several months.
The Washington Stage Door Can
teen is to be located in the old
Belasco Theater, opposite Lafayette
Park, which at the present time Is
being used as a storage place for
Treasury Department filing cases.
1t is hoped that the transform
alton from a Government building
to a place where soldiers, sailors
and marines can get free food,
drinks and fun will be completed by
the first part of September.
Committees to Be Named.
To appoint committees which will
be responsible for the details of or
ganization. buffet supper will be
held on the stage of the National
Theater Thursday night.
Helen Hayes, Tallulah Bankhead,
Edna Ferber, Brock Pemberton. Gil
bert Miller and other theatrical per-
sonalities will be present. Mrs.
Franklin D. Roosevelt has also ac-
cepted an invitation to attend the
organizational meeting.
1t is planned to use the lobby and
first floor of the theater, and to
establish an eating place in the
gallery. Soft drinks, sandwiches,
cake and similar light refreshments
will be served.
Entertainment at the Canteen will
be furnished nightly by theatrical
performers appearing here in movie
house stage shows, the legitimate
theater, radio and night clubs. In
addition, 1t is likely that noted per-
formers will be brought down from
New York from time to time.
For Servicemen Only.
There will be dancing at the Stage
Door, with music to be furnished
sometimes by we'll known orchestras.
Washington girls will act as host
esses and the staff will be made up
Of voluntary workers.
All these things will be furnished
free to men in uniform. No one will
be admitted to the Stage Door here
save servicemen, policy established
In New York.
The undertaking in New York has
been eminently successful. 1t is an
activity of the American Theater
Wing War Service, Inc. Rachel
Crothers is president of the organi-
cation. Other officers include Ger
trude Lawrence, Helen Hayes, Vera
Allen and Mrs. Martin Beck. Men,
bers of the board OF directors in
clude most Of the big names of the
theatrical world.
The New York Stage Door Can
teen is operated in the basement of
the Forty-fourth Street Theater. It
is open from to IL pm. and has
entertained between 5000 and 1000
servicemen daily.
Bus Boys From theatrical World.
These men in uniform have seen
entertainment which could not be
bought in the most expensive night
clubs or theaters. The leading per-
formers of musical comedies and
vaudeville come regularly to the
canteen to put on their acts and to
dance or talk with the servicemen.
The entire work of the Stage Door
Is done by people Of the theater.
Even the bus boys come from the
theatrical world. The expenses of
the undertaking are betrayed to a
large extent by high-paid actors.
Milton Shubert and Mr.. Pember-
ton are chairmen of the branch
committee which is getting the
Stage Door organization under way
here. They have already established
such spot in Philadelphia and are
making plans for others.
Local Support Sought.
Leading figures in Washington
life are being invited to the organ
tzational dinner Thursday night.