Word: broadway
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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Moreover, the "good time" psychology of the patrons of New York's drama mill and the enormous expense of putting a Broadway show on the boards has forced Broadway into dependence on temporary "hits" that rapidly draw large audiences and then fade into oblivion before next month's epic. A show that does not promise to be immediately popular with a mass audience is completely impractical. Few can afford to pay $12 or more for a pair of tickets to a show that hasn't been predigested and approved. For example, Candide recently closed to a loss of nearly half...
Another point is that such drama demands an intimate kind of stage that is utterly unsuited to the stadium-like, hot-dogs-and-soda atmosphere of a large Broadway theatre. The Iceman Cometh, probably the most impressive production last year, depends for its success on the intimate association and communication between actors and audience which the Circle-in-the-Square's arena production can provide. The Three-Penny Opera, also greatly successful both financially and artistically, likewise depends on intimate staging...
...economics of Broadway make it nearly imperative to seat 1200 to 1800 people or even more, and the production must be large, loud, and brassy to attract a big audience. Yet the most worthwhile plays in the dramatic repertoire will neither admit of such elaborate production nor draw the kind of audience necessary. Thus off-Broadway is not a substitute for Broadway, but is complementary, and is in many cases an improvement...
...other hand, few off-Broadway companies have a life beyond a year or two. When a group is successful, the bright lights who made it so will advance up the ladder to the Broadway stage; if not successful, they will be back pounding the Pavements. For instance, Jose Quintero, director of The Iceman Cometh, directed Long Day's Journey into Night on Broadway. Me Candido, a very warm and pleasant new play presented by a non-profit settlement house group has been sold to the movies; Kim Stanley and many other now successful actors and actresses began their career...
...Broadway is thus the only real showcase for both actors and playwrights. Several companies wish to produce new plays exclusively, thus achieving a workshop for both actor and writer that is self-supporting. Among these is Ira Cirker's New Theatre Company, which has taken a lease on the Jan Hus Theatre. Not only do these artists hope to get their daily bread, but also to mold a dynamic and living theatre. The Shakespearewrights are one of the most promising of these groups. Composed largely of Yale Drama School graduates, they have produced several works of the bard...