Monday, May. 30, 1949

One-Night Stand in Washington

After 42 dark weeks, Washington's hungry theatergoers snapped up a morsel--a one-night stand of Judith Anderson in Medea, played in the outdoor Sylvan Theater at the base of the Washington Monument. Actors' Equity would still not permit its players to perform where Negroes were excluded from the audience, and the capital's only playhouse, the National, still balked at such terms.

At the outdoor theater, Actress Anderson had to howl down the throb of low-flying planes for an unsegregated audience of 10,000, probably the largest ever to see Medea. Total receipts, for seats in camp chairs or on the grassy slopes: more than $16,000. Six blocks away, the National, still obstinately grinding out minor movies and losing money, was half empty.

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