Not Flourishing, Not Declining
(Continued from Preceding Page)
is basically a conservative one.
"What sort of reviews did it get?"
is a fairly familiar question. The
local audience is tied to and de-
pendent on the New York critics,
which automatically kills the
chance of an experimental theatre.
Second, the repertory situation
Is a tricky one. Bernard Shaw
points out the difficulties of rep-
ertory companies in the Preface to
the collection of his Letters and
the Lttersof -llen Terry.
Audiences tire very quickly of
the same people, and actors just
as quickly tire of the forced close
contact, and the same predictable
audiences that the repertory situ-
ation brings. Too often it's actors
playing for an audience that they
cannot stand, who in turn, through
overexposure, cannot stand them.
This, although in a much subtler,
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modified form, I believe, hindered was a good company. For one
the Dramatic Arts Center, al- thing, with a commercial spring
though more of that later, season, and a group playing a ba-
sically classical repertoire, and a
THE THIRD PROBLEM is the local group to play popular shows,
problem of a place to play. it filled in the gap and did the
Where in Ann Arbor would you truly off beat good stuff, such as
put a repertory company? And Pirandello and Obey.
this is very important. The kind- These plays were staged so in-
est thing that happened to the ventively that no matter whether
Masonic Auditorium is that Ben- you liked or hated the presenta-
dix took it over and put it out of tion, you left the place with the
its misery. Out front was dingy feeling that you had seen a show
enough, but there ought to be a that was the work of artists.
44
law about that backstage area,
which was a not-so-glorified pig
sty.
The old Arts Theatre, and there
was a theatre, managed to mini-
mize the faults of a makeshift!
stage, but no matter how cleverly
they did this, the effect was still
one of apology for what they had
to work with. I don't believe the
Arts Theatre need have folded. It
BUT THE Arts Theatre had its
problems too.
Their financial management,
certainly at the end, was folly in-
carnate, and at least one of the
season ticket setups they chose is
enough to make a body throw up
his hands in bemused horror.
However, they had a purpose and
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Dramatic Arts Center either duplicated the type of production
given by the other two groups, or presented unspectacular revivals
and deservedly unknown shows. Picture is from the 1955 DAC pro-
duction of Jean Paul Sarte's "No Exit."
served a need. A genuine theatre bores that was ever inflicted on
of protest is always a good thing, the easily impressionable Midwest.
I must confess, I never saw the And the same season, to ring in
need for the Arts Theatre's suc- "The Inheritors," a mush-mouthed
cessor, the Dramatic Arts Center version of "The Male Animal,"
(horrid name!). The plays pre- seems peculiar also, as does the
sented were either respectable presence of "The Country Girl,"
Broadway hits of the type done by which had in the previous few
two other local groups, unspec- seasons been done by both of the
tacular revivals, or unknown other theatre groups in town.
shows that had achieved that
status deservedly. It is a mystery
to me why any group whose suc- THE ACTING style this group
cess was not insured and whose chose to effect had a dreary
financial status was equally un- sameness, no doubt designed to
certain, would pick "Captain Car- suggest "reality," a problem more
vallo," which just a few years akin to psychology than enter-
previously Katharine Cornell and tainment.
an all star cast had triumphantly Consequently the high points
toured from Detroit to Cleveland, were in the razz-ma-tazz per-
there expiring languidly, not be- formance . of Margaret Banner-
cause the show was radical or in- mann and Katherine Sergava,
tellectual and people were not both of whom managed by sheer
ready for it, but rather because (1dint of personality to inject some
it was one of the most crushing (concluded on Page 10)
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