ational Repertory Theater Plans to Barnstorm with Top Plays
By
FREDERICK M. WINSHIP
United Press International
A permanent reper lory
theater serving the whole na-tion-a
long unfulfil'cd dream
-is about to come true.
The National Reper t o r y
Theater Foundation, which
toured 58 cities and colleges
in 30 states last season, is
planning to barnstorm coast-to-coast
with three plays be
ginning next fall. A busy staff
is at work in a modest office
near Manhattan's Beekman
Place setting the intricate
machinery of the ambitious
tour project in motion.
The United States supports
at least a dozen touring com
panies each season, but these
provide mostly contemporary
fare - hit Broadway plays and
musicals. The National Reper
tory Theater (NRT) will flesh
out the national theater scene
with enduring plays of the
past played by stellar casts.
If the NRT becomes a per
manent adornment of Ameri
can cultural life, the major
share of the credit will be due
the co-founders, Michael Dew
ell and Frances Ann Hersey,
who won their producing
spurs with two successful
tours of the National Phoenix
Theater in 1959 and 1960.
In 1961, they decided to in
augurate a permanent touring
company for theater classics.
The non-profit National Rep
ertory Theater Fuonda t i o n
was the result. Actress Eva
Le Gallienne. who has found
ed two short-lived repertory
theaters in her long career,
threw her prestige behind the
project and the American Na
tional Theater and academy
loaned necessary funds.
Mary Stuart First
"Miss Le Gallienne co-starred
in Schiller's 'Mary Stuart'
for use in the Phoenix tour,
and the whole idea of a the
ater on a national institution
al scale just boiled up among
us." recalls Dcwell. "Miss Lc
Gallienne agreed to appear
in our first NRT presentations
- 'Mary Stuart' with Faye
Emerson and Maxwell Ander
son's Elizabeth the Queen'."
Last season's tour of 18
actors in the two plays cost
SI million, more than half of
which was met by box-office
income. The tour went S155.
000 in the red. and a similar
amount probably will have to
be met annually out of gifts :
from individuals or industry
donations. Dcwell reports mat
to date the NRT has raised
S130.000 of this subsidy
amount for next season. Near
ly a score of foundations have
made grants to match public
contributions.
Plan Three Plays
"We haven't decided just
what we will do yet, but it
will be three plays which are
classics of different periods,"
says the dark, intent young
nrodiaer. "Mavbe they'll be
Sheridan's 'The Rivals' 1 1775),
Chekhov's 'The Seagull'
(1896), and the Kaufmann
Ferbcr comedy classic 'The
Royal Family' (1927).
"We're not a road company
out for the old cash register.
We are trying to establish a
company with permanence
and significance similar to the
Comedie Francaise in France
and the Old Vic in England,
but travelling. There is not a
big enough audience in New
York alone to support this
sort of project, but the coun
try as a whole can do it. We
hope eventually to have four
companies touring at once on
52-week tours."
Scaled For Road
Dcwell and Mrs. Hersey,
ex-wife of novelist John Mer
sey, assemble their shows in
New York. The productions
arc mounted by top designers
and scaled for the road and
YCCTI0NC
Medford,
varying theater requirements
unlike most Broadway pro
ductions that must be ex
pensively "cut down" for
touring. Dcwell says design
ing directly for the road saves
money.
"We try for productions as
good or better than Broad
way," he says. "We will r,se
the star system because peo
ple want to see stars We'll
provide the kind of stars made
by God and not by publicity.
We have found that theater
people in every department
are very enthusiastic alum
presenting great literature of
the theater to the nation as a
whole."
When NRT put out a cast
ing call for 14 supporting
roles ill 1961, Dcwell and
Mrs. Hersey had to audition
4,000 hopeful actors and act
resses. Many great names
have offered their services to
the NRT. loo, including Cor-
PAGES 1 to U
MEDFORD, OREGON. THURSDAY. JANUARY 31. 1963
GIVES TOUR SUPPORT One of the many
stars who will tour with the National Rep
ertory Theater is Eva LcGallienne who
threw her prestige behind the project in its dcrson. (UPI)
58-city tour last season. Miss LcGallienne
played the part of Queen Elizabeth in dra
matic works by Schiller and Maxwell An-
Taking the Profit Out
Merchant Must Go Out of Business
To Have 'Going Out of Business' Sale
West
been buill
By DICK WEST
Washington -iliPli- Over the
years, the "going out of bus
iness" sale has been as much
a part of the
America n
i scene as the
overdue
charge ac
count. If rec
ords were
available I sus
pect they
would show
that several
fortunes have
by enterprising
merchants who made a busi
ness of going out of business.
It appears, however, that
this road to riches has now
been closed.
The Federal Trade Commis
sion, in a case this month, took
the position that a merchant
should not advertise a "going
out of business" sale unless he
actually is going out of busi
ness. In the FTC's view, moving
the business to a new location
under another name docs not
constitute "going out."
Gad. sir! This is the sort of
thing that is taking all of the
profit out of bankruptcy.
The next thing you know
the FTC will be demanding
that "fire sales" include a
conflagration.
As the patron saint of the
American consumer, the com
mission, which undertakes to
protect us from our own gulli
bility, has handled several
other cases recently that I
thought were of more than
run-of-the-mill interest.
One of them involved a tele
vision commercial for a kitch
en knife. It showed a salesman
demonstrating the sharpness
I MADE
MYSELF
of the knife by cutting a nail
in half.
The FTC charged that the
commercial was deceptive on
grounds that the salesman ac
tually was using the back of
the knife. It may have a point
there, although it wouldn't
matter to me personally.
When I get so mad I could
eat nails, I don't really care
which side of the knife they
are carved with.
For that matter, any knife
that would sever a nail
would be a big improve
ment over the kitchen cut
lery at my house. On some
of the knives we have the
handles are sharper than
the blades.
Another recent case con
cerned a claim that a swim
ming aid "makes anyone un-
sinkablc." The FTC said the
device "will not, of itself, pre
vent all users from sinking. '
The commission further al-!
leged that the "money back 1
guarantee" was misleading. ;
Apparently, there was some
chance that the guarantee .
would expire before the life '
guard fetched the buyer up
from the bottom of the pool.
There also was a case in
volving table linens that were
packaged in green and while
boxes bearing a trade name
that included the word "Erin"
and showing a picture of a
shamrock.
The FTC charged that the
packaging misrepresented the
origin of the linens, which
were made in Japan. I would
have guessed they were made
in Denmark.
IT'S YOUR LAW
Krfivcl (r Lair .V.lir! Dfl'V-dfy Itrt
Editor's note: This column
is offered as a public service
by the Oregon State Bar. II is
not intended as legal advice.
If you have a problem, lake
all of the facts to a lawyer, A
slight change in facts may
completely alter the outcome
of a case.
1
, . end soved besides!'
. , . and mi c.imI. V ith Sr-ru-
RfKe on iuM adit ,tlcr.
I vcruhmp n in the mi and
m i inp tdkcN oniy minute.
Vil'.ne .md our oven do
the rct Co.: lci than
otihnj:- hre.id.
AT GROCERS EVERYWHERE
Ech Hiiiqi '"tit 4 ij-ejt 'o-ti
Hif it frrt reapc niwAi'e
RUSSELL SMUANCI CO.
DIVORCE
"1 want a divorce." are
words spoken frequently in
the average lawyer's office.
Few other statements re
flect the intense, bitter, emo
tional struggle which has pre
ceded their pronouncement.
Yet in few other instances is
Ihc person more in need of
sympathetic and competent
counsel before Ins decision be
comes final. For although
nearly everyone knows the
common grounds fur divorce,
few undersand its full signif
icance, and fewer still realize
that at best, a divorce is usu
ally only a partial solution of
problems confronting a hus
band and wile.
I As is well known by any
lawyer, divorce ficquently
creates other problems, even
more impossible ot solution.
This is especially true if min
or children arc involved.
Even though the public may
accept with apathy a high rate
of divorce, the law still tavors
the continuation of a valid
marriage. Lawyers and judges
also feel it is their duty to help
perpetuate a marriage rather
than to help dissolve it.
It is for these reasons that
when consulted about a di
vorce the lawyer will make
a detailed and searching in
quiry as to the nature and
background of the complaints.
After being fully informed he
may be able to recommend
a betler solution to the prob
lem than a divorce. Thus he
may aid in a reconciliation
and the re-establishment of a
normal and harmonious home
life.
Of course, if a reconcilia
tion is impossible and one of
the spouses charges that the
other lias been guilty of one
or more of the causes for
which a divorce may be
granted, the lawyer consulted
may begin the proceeding by
filing a petition in court al
leging such grounds and pray
ing for a divorce.
WHAT TO SERVE?
TO SERVE? WHAT
WHAT TO SERVE?
TO SERVE? WHAT
WHAT TO SERVE?
TO EBirVHAT
1st t '
HOLDS CONFERENCE
Washington - Ifl - Sccrc-
tary of State Dean Rusk will
; hold a neu.s conference at 11 ;
'am. Friday, his 18th general I
I news conference in Washing- :
ton since he took office two j
' years aco
1
w fc$Efia e?
MI
AS AN ENTREE
AS A MAIN COURSE
SNOW'S OF COURSE IT'S BEST!
1
nelia Otis Skinner, Julie Har
ris, James Mason, Eric Port
man, Cyril Ritchard, June
11 a v o c, Margaret Webster,
Mildred Natwiek. Farley
Granger and Burl Ives. Miss
Skinner told Dcwell she
would like lo play Mrs. Mala
prop. Mason Francics Olhcllo
and Ives has his eye on Fal
staff. Get Wanted Roles
"They'd be marvelous in
these roles they've always
wanted to play." says Dcwell.
"It's obvious that the com
mercial theater has not al-
j lowed these great actors to do
' what they really want."
j The NRT travelled 50,000
miles last season, making
stands ranging from one night
' to three weeks. The cast used
plane, bus. station wagon, and
train. The trucks that carried
the sets and costumes were
the largest of their kind in
Ihc world The east played to
'250.000 persons, 50.000 of
them students al reduced
prices that were abuut double
the cost of a movie. The top
ticket price was S4.
"As the public increases its
contributions to .is. we'll be
able lo cut the box office price I wards of patrons'lip. We want
down, says Dcwell. It s my
aim lo bring student prices
down to movie prices in four
or five years so that the youth
of the nalion will come to
love the theater al the right
age. Al present young people
arc priced out of the theater
and many do not form the
habit of theater - going that
could give them so much
pleasure in later years."
Chicago Has Group
D e w e I 1 has encouraged
groups in many cities visited
by the NRT to establish
"friends groups." The Chicago i sons turned away
group is the most active. ' ville. Ivy., where
About 500 persons there raise
funds, see that NRT plays arc
taught in the schools, intro
duce the cast to little theater
and college dramatic groups
and schedule lectures by the
cast, arrange backstage tours,
and drum up publicity and
radio and television
views.
"We try to be a part of the
life of any city where we
play," says Dcwell. "We want
to restore the patron -actor
relationship and give all our
supporters all the rich re-
palrons all over the country
not just big donors here and
there."
Medford Responds
Dewell said the response
from audiences from North
ampton. Mass., to Medford,
Ore., w as "s t u p e n dous."
Wherever the company pre
sented more than one per
formance, the second night
audience was bigger than the
first and the third night even
larger. In Areata. Calif., the
1.000 seat rarely-used theater
was sold out and 1.200 per-
ln Louis
only 600
persons turned out for "Music
Man." more than 3.000 per
sons patronized NRT. People
drove as far as 200 miles to
see the company in Odessa,
Tex.
"All this shows Ihe country
still cares about theater - in
inter-j spile of years of apathy en
gendered by radio, television,
and intermittent fare of musi
cal comedies with second rate
casts." says Dewell. "I'm not
surprised that most older peo
ple have given up theater al
together. But colleges and
universities are producing a
whole new generation o
drama lovers. The National
Repertory Theater is going to
fill their need."
flavors
llliiiilE
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