Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-07-27
BY JAY CARMODY
Stag Drama Editor

Outstanding among the ma
tons community theaters.
will be a participant in the
Ford Foundations new aid
to-artists program which is
announced today.
Naturally. in the words Of
Arenas managing-director
Zelda Fichandler. it viii be q
delighted participant and
proud to be one of 80 Coop
Grating organizations in "a
cities which win share in the
project.
1t is a four-point program
the foundation is sponsoring.
its purpose to improve the
opportunities of talented
Americans to attract public
attention. The four creative
groups to be given assistance
include musicians. play
wrights, theater directors
and, as a single category,
painters, sculptors and re-
lated artists.
Program A Survey
For the total program,
which amounts to q prelimi-
nary survey by the Founda-
ton of the role it should
play in the arts. an appro-
priation Of $635,000 has
been made.
Arenas role in the project
will be the production Of q
play by a new author. for
which the foundation will
make a specific grant Of
$4,000. This is the sum that
offers Arena protection
against the loss in producing
a play which might be a fall
ure at the boxofhce. Mrs.
Fichlander's group, a sue
cessful overall operation since
its first sessions in 1950--at
least in its achievement Of q
break-even point has pro-
duced plays which have
failed.
Its losses on such produc-
tons were calculated at q
minimum in the theater's re-
quest for its grant from the
foundation.
"It is an extremely inter-
esting program on which the
foundation is embarking
under w. Mcneil Lowry, d.
rector of its humanities and
the arts department" Mrs.
Fichandler says.
New Authors Scarce
"As you know, Arena,
which undertakes to offer q
balanced program every sea-
son, is especially concerned
with new playwrights. Ger
tainly, the original work has
its place among our produc-
tions. Finding it has been
one of our most difficult
problems. The foundations
new move promises much
for its solution.
Mrs. Fichandler, who partic-
ipated in the preliminary
discussions Of the founda-
tons program in Cleveland
in the spring, says 1t will not
be until the 1959-60 season
that Arena takes part in the
project.
AS planned, the aid-to-play-
wrights set-up envisages the
selection Of up to 10 plays by
as many authors.
It does not follow that there
actually will be 10 plays on
the foundations ultimate
list. "a committee whose
competence will be unques-
tioned-certainly by me, and
I am sure generally-will
make the choices" Mrs. Fich-
andler says. The selections
will be made from plays
nominated by leaders in the
theater and by competent
critics. The final number
may be six. or any other
number up to 10. of course.
10 Theaters Participate
Ten theaters have been
chosen to participate in the
program. but If a new play is
not available for each Of
them, it is possible that the
more promising ones among
the lesser number will be
given duplicate productions.
/ do not know that this Il
true. but it is possible"
The theaters will not be
permitted absolute choice Of
their plays from the Founda-
tons list. They will, however.
be given q chance to read
the manuscripts and to desig-
nate first. second and third
choices, from among which
the final assignment will be
made by the foundations
committee.
Mrs. Fchandler Is de-
lighted at the degree to which
both the new playwright and
the producing theater win
share in the production pro-
blem.