BROADWAY FOR EVERYMAN
Javits, Rep. Jacob K.
Broadway for Everyman — By Rep. Jacob K. Javits IN THE VATICAN archives, in a a fragment 2300 years old, an author laments the sorry state of the theatre. The good old days, he says, are gone...
...and that such arts are affective and vitally important means for the development of the democratic culture of the United States...
...and gives its services freely to Broadway, the University and the Community theatre alike...
...A national theatre and a national opera and ballet, whether supported by government subsidy, public subscription or some other plan, would provide this central service agency...
...There are, however, two excellent examples which we may profitably study: one is the Arts Council of Great Britainj the other, our own American National Theatre and Academy, chartered by Congress in 1936...
...There Is an enormous pent-up demand for the art of the theatre, tlpe opera and the ballet in the United States...
...The Government became conscious of the fact that, whereas many American cities had formerly possessed a local, resident "stock company" or an "opera house" visited regularly by the country's great artists, by the middle of the 1930's only those relatively few Americans living in hirgc metropolitan areas and along the East coast had access to living theatre...
...Institution, the National Gallery oi Art and the Library of Congress...
...Representatives of universities and other educational institutions are to be included, as well as editors, critics and local state and municipal officials, and, in general, all the many groups and individuals who constitute our country's artists and art patrons or followers...
...Despite occasional downward cycles in recent times, the American theatre, opera and ballet will endure and grow...
...and of (b) the opera and ballet in the United States in all its branches, including, but without limitation thereof, organizations of musical artists, musicians, production workers, opera companies, ballet companies, opera guilds, and community music committees...
...A small country may actually benefit most of its citizens by the construction of a theatre or opera house in one of the principal cities...
...Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia...
...IN JANUARY of this year, Senator Irving M. Ives, Senator Elbert D. Thomas and I took the first official steps in this direction by introducing into the House and Senate bills calling ,iqr a joint resolution "To provide for a national theatre and a national opera and ballet...
...These community theatres and touring repertory companies have not waited for subsidies or any other kind of assistance in their efforts to bring theatre to the country...
...Unfortunately, while setting up an organization "to extend the living theatre beyond its present limitations by bringing the best of the theatre to every state of the Union," Congress did not implement it with funds, nor did it take comparable actions in the fields of opera and ballet...
...The State Theatre of Virginia (which, incidentally, receives a $10,000 a year subsidy from the state and is the only subsidized theatre in America's history) has been touring through 22 Southern states and in towns of two to three tousand population finds townspeople forming lines as long as two city blocks to witness a performance of "Hamlet...
...Since the war's end, however, the American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA for short) has been extremely active...
...From 12 to 15 million people follow the Saturday afternoon broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera Company...
...OUR OWN AMERICAN Nutional Theatre and Academy was chartered by Congress in 1935, four years prior to the inception of England's Arts Council, with much the same purpose...
...The depression years soon brought on the WPA Federal Theatre, which precluded other activity in that area while remaining essentially a relief organization and an emergency measure from which no enduring national theatre or other continuing operation could be expected to develop...
...In England, the Council for tho Encouragement of Music and the Arts (later rechristened the Arts Council) was formed in 1939, under the Board of Education, to assist drama and music...
...the United States, because of its great expanse, clearly could not so reach the people...
...THE IMPORTAM...
...SENATOR IVES and I believe that the bill we introduced has already accomplished a major part of its original purpose...
...An entire generation of Americans was growing up in almost complete ignorance of art forms which have been an integral part of the world's culture for thousands of years...
...THE HISTORY of government support of the arts is long and varied...
...A plan for such establishments which clearly provides that they are to be managed and directed by the profession, by educators, and by the crafts and the audiences, can be expected to achieve the universal approbation already accorded such Oovwiunant tubsidized organizations as the tarittsMniaa...
...and in the com* munity theatres from St...
...In 10 years the Arts Council has led the British theatre to a point where nearly every English city of moderate size either has its own resident acting company or shares one with a neighboring community...
...Anyone who studies the situation first hand, as I had occasion to do some months ago during a nation-wide tour, is immediately impressed by tha remarkable growth of amateur,, semi* professional and even professional the* atrical groups in towns and cities of surprisingly small size...
...Opposition to national theatre, opera and ballet, where It arises, is nearly always the result of traditionalism and fear...
...Despite the dire predictions of the document mentioned in the opening paragraph of this article, the theatre has somehow survived and continued to grow in the intervening two thousand years...
...In the case of the theatre it extends from Greece in the days of Aeschylus and Sophocles to the more than 45 modern nations which, by government action, actively encourage the development of their national theatre, opera and ballet...
...The good old days, he says, are gone forever...
...This principle must become the foundation of any publicly supported national theatre, opera or ballet...
...and that • national theatre and a national opera and ballet are necessary for the enjoyment of these arts by the people throughout the United States and especially outside the great centers of population, for tho instruction of youth in these arts, for the development of our national riches in dramatic and musical literature and talent, for the development of playwrights, composers, performers, directors and other craftsmen in these arts, and for enlarged opportunities for them...
...The form taken by such support varies with the nations, and much of it does not afford good precedent for the U.S...
...Operating under a plan devised by two young army sergeants during the war, ANTA serves as a clearing-house of vitally heeded information, provides encouragement and appreciation to enterprising young playwrights, performers and other craftsmen...
...The basis for a national theatre already exists, not alone in New York, but on the campuses of Yale, Stanford, the University of Indiana and many others...
...Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Rumania, Salvador, Siam, Spain, Sweden,Switzerland, Turkey, the U.S.S.R., Venezuela and Yugoslavia...
...second, that such institutions must patient, all of the American people, wherever they may be located in the 48 states...
...It includes Argentina...
...Through the Council, government funds were provided to assure continued practice of these arts, which, there as in America, had been steadily waning...
...It established the now famous London Company of Old Vic under the leadership of Sir Laurence Olivier for which the British Parliament, in a period of deep economic distress, is currently appropriating $4,000,000 to be used in the construction of a theatre building...
...This bill does not, however, present a specific plan for either the proposed national theatre or the national opera and ballet...
...The Council, among its many activities, enabled the Old Vic to form two touring companies playing continuously through the industrial areas, bringing Shakespeare and the other classics before audiences to whom such things had hitherto been almost entirely unavailable...
...They have reached a point, . however, beyond which they cannot go without the means to combine their many individual efforts...
...They, too, lamented the sorry state of the theatre, and talked about the good old days of 1908, when the United States had 2,303 legitimate theatres...
...While formulating our resolution, Senator Ives and I had two principles uppermost in our minds: first, that any American national theatre, opera or ballet must be organized from the bottom up, riot from the top down...
...My suggestion was that they repeat such conferences, broadening the base until responsible groups from all df the 48 states are represented, and then go to the American people and their representatives in Congress with a concrete, workable plan for a truly national theatre and a national opera and ballet...
...A few weeks ago, I addressed the leaders of today's American theatre in a conference at New York's Hotel Astor...
...It has drawn the public's attention to these problems and, most important, has provided a common denominator of action which is agreeable to all of the organizations and individual leaders of theatre, opera and ballet—a fact clearly reflected by the mail we have received since the introduction of this bill...
...The resolution, in part, affirms: "That tha Congrats finds that tha United States of America, almost alone among tho great nations, does not now have a national theatre and a national opera and ballet...
...The Hooper rating of Theatre U.S.A., a Thursday evening program devoted to living theatre broadcasts over the national network of ABC by ANTA and the United States Army and Army Air Forces, is rising steadily...
...Augustine, Florida to Salt Lake City, Utah and Pasadena, California...
...The hundreds of colleges and universities which maintain drama departments and theatres have not been deterred in their efforts by the decline of the professional theatre...
...Tours of the Metropolitan and of the leading ballet troupes play invariably to sell-out performances...
...The extent and the rapidity of its growth depends to a large extent on the theatre, opera and ballet themselves...
...thing about ANTA and, it seams to me, the secret of its success is that its officers are 40 outstanding members of the tbedtre representing every major theatre and uni varsity theatre organisation and elected annually by corporate members located In 41 states...
...This list reads like a second United Nations...
...What could be done, they asked, to revivify our country's theatrical art...
...On the contrary, it provides specifically that such plans shall be drawn up by "an assembly representative of (a) the theatre in the United States in ajl its branches, including, but without limitation thereof, organizations and associations of actors, composers, producers and, managers, dramatists, production workers, community and little theatres, and drama leagues...
Vol. 32 • April 1949 • No. 14
