The Cincinnati Enquirer du lieu suivant : Cincinnati, Ohio • 80

Magazine Section THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Magazine Section SUNDAY. MORNING, SEPTEMBER 29, 1940. History Of Cincinnati Actors9 Guild 1 1 Members Of Amateur Theatrical Group i (1 Stimulating Recreation A 1 Creative Outlet In World Of Make-. Believe A) BY RAY McGOLDBICK. HE Actors Guild has a membership of well over a hundred local people interested in acting, di mm recting, make-up, scenic design, and writing.

The majority of the members have no intention of entering any of the fields of the professional theater. By day they are employed with the business of making a liv-i ing, and at night their recreation and creative outlet is in the more I romantic world of make-believe. Open to all white residents of Cincinnati and the surrounding area, 1 9 TAe picture at the left shows the Terminal Theater and original stage at the time it was taken over by the Actors Guild. Above: An actual scene from the recent Guild production of "Outward Bound." r- 1 I bnnnrn hlllrnAm Hfinr team UrtuBaf.ii4,iH mnA "fin, SnnHnv I Afternoon" completed the season schedule. Since the theater was air-conditioned, and since there was no dramatic fare offered to Cincinnatians during the summer months, The Guild operated a trial summer season.

The summer season was opened with capacity houses for another production of "Bury The Dead," presented in response to hundreds of requests. "Kind Lady" and a program of one-act plays were successfully produced and well attended. The large attendance and interest In the summer season proved that Cincinnati wanted dramatic entertainment during the hot summer months, and The Actors Guild Summer Theater became part of the Guild's regular activities. Lvk-r," the Actors Guild includes every class of persons from debutantes to day laborers. Among the various occupations represented by the guild's membership are house' wives, business executives, school HE fourth season included teachers, traffic managers, stenographers, secretaries, students, telephone operators, advertising execu "Beyond The Horizon," "Personal Appearance," "Little tives, waitresses, librarians, photographic models, divinity students, radio actors and announcers, druggists, lawyers, investment brokers.

When the Stuart Walker Company was disbanded in Cincinnati, a group of the younger actors including Margaret Callahan and Gertrude Michael, under the management and direction of Owen Phillips, formed the Actors' Guild. The purpose of the Actors' Guild was to present plays in the near-by towns which had formerly been visited by the Walker Company. After a successful season the young group was disbanded. Owen Phillips then went to New York, where he appeared in vaudeville, in motion pictures, and on the road with Harry Green in "Twisting The Law." When "Twisting The Law" closed in Philadelphia, young Phillips did not return to New York with the rest of the cast because he felt that there was a great need in Cincinnati for a civic Lulu Vollmer and Owen Phillips discuss "The Hill Between." EARLY in the following December the Guild opened it's second season with "Mrs. Moonlight." And just before the holidays the Guild presented its first Christmas Barter performance.

Admission to the entertainment was in the form of toys, food, clothing, or money, and the entire proceeds were presented to the poor aL Christmas. The first barter performance included the presentation of two one-act plays and a modern dance arrangement of Oscar Wilde's "The Fisherman and His Soul," the latter presented by the Dance and Drama departments of the Lotspeich School. (The novel plan was so successful that it has been made an annual affair. The proceeds which are generous are now turned over to The Enquirer Christmas Fund.) "Mrs. Moonlight" was followed in turn by "Interference" and "Philip Goes Forth." At the Barter Theater Phillips had met Lulu Vollmer, author of "Sun-Up" and other Southern mountain plays.

Miss Vollmer had finished a new play, "The Hill Between" and was anxious for Phillips to direct the production. Earle Larimore, New, York Theater Guild star, and Ann Dunnigan and Therese Wittier both well-known Broadway actresses, were brought out to Cincinnati for the production at the Cox Theater. Following "The Hill Between" the Guild felt that it needed a permanent downtown location. After investigating numerous possibilities, the Terminal Theater in the Union Terminal Station, which was originally built as a newsreel theater, was selectecf as the new home of the Guild. The Terminal Theater was an intimate playhouse, modern, air-conditioned, easily accessible to all parts of town, and offered adequate parking facilities.

The stage was hardly larger than a puppet stage and backstage space was nonexistent, but actors and producers seem to take no notice of hardships or difficulties. Three feet of stage was built across the front of the theater, and the third season was announced. community theater, and that a Kit A IU '-mmJ i in i i III Au" I i xi reorganization of the Actors Guild would fill this need. On his return to Cincinnati Phillips approached numerous people whom he thought might be interested in the idea, and two open meetings were held to formulate plans. In the spring of 1933 plans for the organization of the Actors Guild were completed.

The Cincinnati Womans Club offered the use of its auditoriunV for the venture and a large number of local actors and technicians signified their interest. It remained for Phillips to select a new and unusual play to open the guild's first season. In the summer of 1935 Phillips was engaged at the famous Barter Theater in Abingdon, Va. At the Barter- Theater he directed the i i i i mmX I 'fHfm I social service workers, salesmen, and many others. Tiie quality of the productions of The Actors Guild is much higher than that of the ordinary amateur or Little Theater group.

A number o'l Guild players have had professional experience on the stage, and many of the players have received extensive dramatic training or have acquired experience through years of work with the local organization. The Actors Guild is operated on a strictly professional basis except for the fact that the actors are not paid. There are no social activities of any kind and Guild rehearsals are conducted as seriously as those for a Broadway production. Absence and tardiness at rehearsals a common occurance in many non-professional groups means immediate replacement in the Guild. The Guild is composed of a serious, congenial group of people of all ages, all intent on one thing: To present the best productions possible.

Those who join the group for personal exploitation are soon weeded out SINCE the Actors Guild has never had subsidization of any kind, it has never had a patron list, and has never solicited funds for advertising or any other purpose, the local goup relies entirely on Its box office ticket sale for expenses. This plan is an exacting gauge of public acceptance and necessitates the utmost care in the selection of plays and casts, and in the uniform excellence of productions. The Terminal Theater is a small playhouse and the admission is kept at nominal sum, so the proceeds at best are scarcely more than the current running expenses. What profits there are find their way Into improvements for the theater. if 'ft 1" Photo by 3.

B. WlUUmi, I'M: a The Midwestern farm house ry- HE FIRST bill at the new play- I house was Irwin Shaw's anti-: setting for the first production play "Storm Child" and realized at once that this was just the play war drama, "Bury the Dead v) Miingsiey rovenmire "Job's for which he had been searching. which was presented on the limited stage without a curtain. "Bury the Dead" was the Guild's biggest hit. Local drama critics gave the play rave reviews, and "standing room only" was the box office attendant's reply to ticket orders long before When the season closed at the summer theater, he returned to Cincinnati with the manuscript and the agreement of several of the young professional Barter players to guest star in the production here.

Enquirer photo by Kuprlon. Marian Carroll accepts the Mayor's proclamation which proclaimed the Actors Guild "a civic enterprise deserving the interest and support of mil citizens of Women," "Night Must Fall," "Waiting For Lefty," and a special double feature of "Personal Appearance" and "Waiting For Lefty" with dinner intermission between the the time of performance each eve- Storm Child was presented at ning. Originally the play was plays. The season closed with the Woman Club and was an instantaneous success. This was followed by "The Pursuit of Happi uled for four performances, but two additional performances Were added and numerous orders were still being ness," The Goose Hangs High," and a new play, "Job's Laughter" by Kingsley Povenmire, bead of the Drama Department of Norwood High School.

The Editor from Stage Magazine paid second visit to the Guild during the winter of 1939 and remarked on the progress of the group: "Mixed Doubles," the latter an original play by Margaret McClure Stitt, Cincinnati playwright. 'When I first visited Owen Fhillips's self-supporting, integral part of Cincinnati's community life." Last season opened with "The Pursuit of Happiness," followed by a revival of "Our Town," one of the first out-of-New-York productions of "Family Portrait," "Dear Octopus," "The Warrior's Husband," a third revival of "Bury the Dead," and closed with another sensational success, "Outward Bound." In order to open the sixth season earlier than usual, the third summer season was limited to fouf productions: "George and Mar- received when the play was finally closed after the sixth night. The pre-Broadway tryout of "The Hill Between" and the unique idea of a theater in a railway station had attracted nationwide attention among commuriity theaters and dramatic publications. An editor of Stage Magazine visited the Guild in 1937 and commented In that well-known publication: "The Actors Guild inherited the mantla Of the excellent Stuart Walker Company which made Cincinnati its headquarters some years ago. Under the direction of Owen Phillips the Guild is making great strides toward duplicating Mr.

Walker's success." Following "Bury The Dead" the rw. mmmmmmm li ij I ym imimiiim milium iif OTinr wnrmmi i nil wrir tr -rw winminii itiwmw earet." "Ladies of the Jury, a pro gram of one-acts, and "Post Road." An innovation which has become Actors Guild two years ago, it didn't seem possible that they would be able to fill the vacancy left by the Stuart Walker Stock Company. But by dint of hard work and a year-round schedule at The Terminal Theater, they have turned the trick." Before the opening of their second summer season the Etage was enlarged a third time, the dressing room in the aisle was replaced by an adequate dressing room directly above the theater, and a new velour curtain replaced tike handmade flannel curtain. The Guild's second summer season presented an ambitious schedule. "Squaring the Circle," a revival of Must Fall," "The Trial of Mary Dugan," "The Whole Town's Talking," and "Our Town" a permanent Guild activity during Enquirtr photo by Kuprlon.

the past season was xne workshop Theater. The Workshop Theater is concerned with the production of one-act plays many of which are original plays directed. Mrs. C. L.

Howard exchanges a teddy bear for an admission to the Guild's Christmas Barter performance. The box office attendants are Marian Carroll and Virginia Moltern. stage was again enlarged and a small dressing room was built in the right aisle of the theater. Brown outing flannel was purchased for $12, and with this material members of the organization staged, and acted by members or the Guild. Mr.

Phillips also offers free classes in acting, pantomime, and speech open to all members. The one-act plays are presented at nal Theatre and a history of the organization and progress of the group, ending with: "In four officially recognized by a prominent inclusion in the history of outstanding Community Theatres, "Curtains Going Up," by Albert Eddie Cantor visits The Terminal Theater during the pro- the theater's first curtain. duclion of "Family Por trait" and poses with Guild actresses, pLf ufiH" K-Ia nnaortnai OwPtl PVtillillS all played to capacity houses, left to right: Dorothy Lou Young, Cantor, Lyn Baker, and Barroom," including a musical olio At the end of the Guild fourth McCleery and Carl Glick. The book 1 III I built a small amateur group into a nationally known civic theater, a Continued On Page Three, Helen Aeel. featuring Corvino and Yovlta, well- season, the community theater was carried a picture of the Terml.