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Ann Aibor, MI 48106 THE AKERICAE PLAYWRIGHTS THEATRE: CREATIEG A PARTEERSHIP BETWEEE COHMERCIAL AED EDÜCATIOEAL THEATRE AS AE ALTEREATIVE TO BROADWAY IE THE 19608 AED 19708 DI88ERTATI0E Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Lawrence E. Fink, B.A., M. A. The Ohio State University 1993 Dissertation Committee; Approved by Alan Woods Firman Brown Rex McGraw Adviser Department of Theatre Dedicated To Kevin J. Hogan (1955-1991) We did It! 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMEHTS 1 express deep gratitude to Dr. Alan Woods for his guidance, Insight and friendship throughout the years. I also offer many thanks to Dr. Firman H. "Bo" Brown and Dr. Hex T. Mcgraw for their encouragement through this and other projects and events. Many thanks, also, to Dr. E. Beth Sullivan for unending encouragement. Special thanks are extended to Dr. Jerome Lawrence and Dr. Robert E. Lee for their assistance and contributions. Also, to Dr. David H. Ayers and Dr. Roy H. Bowen. The research assistance I received from Curator Mena Couch and the staff at The Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute was Invaluable. And thanks also go to my vitally Important extended family of Nadine DeSanto, Mary Hammond, Mardla J. Bishop, Richard Kozar, Gary Love, Rocky Morrison, Lori Buonauro, Sr. Germaine Conroy, Sr. Carol Ann Spencer, and Sr. Colleen Gallagher. And to the best next door neighbors In the world J. Phoenix Campbell, Jared Canpbell and Shirley Parsley. I extend my deepest gratitude to my parents, Louis E. and Anne T. Fink. Ill VITA May 16, 1958 ........... Born in Cleveland, Ohio 1976-1979 ........... Cojnmunication Arts, Siena Heights College Adrian, Michigan 1981 .................. B.A., Theatre Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio 1981-1986 ........... Cultural Absorber Boston, Massachuse tts 1986-1987 ........... Graduate Research Assistant The Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute 1987-1988 ........... Graduate Teaching Assistant: Intro to Theatre: Ohio State 1988-1990 .......... Course Administrator: Intro to Theatre Ohio State University 1988 .................. M.A., Theatre Ohio State University 1990-..................Lecturer Ohio State University FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field ........... Theatre Studies in: Contemporary Theatre: Dr. Alan Woods Contemporary Criticism: Dr. E. Beth Sullivan Playwriting: Dr. David H. Ayers Directing: Dr. Rex McGraw iv TABLE OF COBTEETS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................... iii VITA ..................................................... iv CHAPTER ................................................... PAGE I. INTRODUCTION .................................. 1 Introduction ................................. 1 F o u n d i n g ............. 1 Goals of Study ............................... 8 Methodology and Arrangement ............... 13 II. FOUNDING ...................................... 15 Introduction ................................. 15 Late 1950s/Early 1960s ...................... 15 1963 .......................................... 20 The Purpose of APT/The By-Laws ........... 36 S u m m a r y ..................................... 47 III. 1964: THE FIRST Y E A R ...................... 48 Introduction ................................. 48 The First Plays: Banners of Steel and Forests of the N i g h t ................. 55 Board Meeting ............................... 75 The List of Playwrights .................... 78 S u m m a r y ..................................... 85 IV. 1965-1969 88 Introduction ................................. 88 1965: The Davs Between ...................... 89 1966: Tomorrow* s Monday and And People All A r o u n d ........................ 103 1967 Ivory Tower .......................... 108 1968 anmTnoT-tree.......................... 114 1969 Frustration .......................... 122 V V. 1970-1980 126 1970: The Flarht Thoreau Spent In Jail . 127 1971: Two Scripts Offered: Both Rejected . 133 1972: Echoes .............................. 138 1973: Jabberwock .......................... 146 1974: The Problems Continue ............... 158 1975: The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Magnolia- . ............... 164 1976: Ladvhouse Blues ...................... 168 1977: Frustration Continues ............... 171 1978: Lack of Interest.................... 177 1979: Dormancy ............................ 178 S u m m a r y ..................................... 182 VI. Representative Productions ................. 183 Introduction ................................. 183 The Davs Between ............................ 184 SuTmnprtree................................... 198 The Bight Thoreau Spent in J a i l ........... 208 The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Xagnol i a ................... 221 S u m m a r y ..................................... 234 VII. Conclusion ................................... 237 Introduction ................................. 237 The External Situation ...................... 238 The Internal Situation ...................... 244 S u m m a r y ..................................... 264 APPEBDIX A: Financial Reports ........................ 268 APPEEDIX B: Sample Membership Rosters ............... 302 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................... 325 Vi CHAPTER I IHTRODUCTIOir Int roduct1on The American Playwrights Theatre, in operation from 1963 until 1980, occupies a unique place in American theatre history. The organization created an unprecedented partnership between the educational theatre and the commercial theatre. This partnership sought to premiere new American plays by established dramatists through a venue other than Broadway; namely, the non-commercial stages of American colleges and universities. Community theatres and regional theatres were included to a lesser degree. Reasons for Founding APT was formed in response to the economically oppressive professional theatre situation of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Broadway offered an extremely challenging climate for the professional playwright. Production costs, which had escalated increasingly during the 1950s, were now considered 2 astronomical. The cost of opening a production in one of the commercial theatre’s 30 Broadway theatres had multiplied six­ fold over the previous 15 years. In 1944, staging a drama on the Broadway stage required approximately $25,000. By 1960, the investment required was $150,000. For a musical to open in 1944, the cost was about $100,000. In 1960, $600,000 was needed. Within a few days of opening, a production was declared a ”success" or "failure" based solely on economic factors. Whereas in the past, a production could remain running for a few weeks with the hopes of steadily increasing business, in the early 1960s many productions closed within a matter of days.’ Serious dramas, or plays of ideas, fared poorly; many folded quickly. Often, when promising new playwrights or established playwrights offered new serious works, producers and audiences preferred lighter fare. Economics thus dictated that simple comedies and musicals become the standard attractions of the Broadway stage, leaving established writers of serious drama little or no outlet for their work. APT sought to offer playwrights an alternative to the Broadway battleground. The American Playwrights Theatre was formed ’ Oscar Brockett and Robert Findlay, Century of Innovation. 2nd ed. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1991) 334. 3 with the goal of offering established playwrights of serious drama, or plays of ideas, an outlet for their work without the prohibitive risks of Broadway. * The organization grew out of a question raised at the 1962 convention of The American Educational Theatre Association. At this time, approximately 1,500 colleges and universities