No matter to what we attribute this stringently lean theatre year, whether to stifling commercialism or to a dearth of scripts or ideas, the fact remains that the future of the American Theatre lies far from New York. As shown by the great interest in the small community players' club across the country, people are eager to see more of the legitimate theatre. The answer to their hunger is not a number two company of "Blossom Time," travelling up and down the country till the blossoms fade. Broadway professes to satisfy the "road" in this manner; but a worn-out road company of Shubert actors is not the solution.

What we need and what we look forward to is the establishment of a permanent Repertory Company in every sizable city throughout the nation. At one time, before the advent of the movie, each city has its own stock company; now there are many of them returning to their old haunts, especially in the Middle West where the theatre drought was felt most heavily. These Repertory Companies, staffed by experienced professional actors, of whom there are many ready to give their eye teeth to get into such a venture, would operate very much like the Summer Theatres. Though, instead of presenting a new play each week and discarding the old one, the Repertory plays would be produced one by one and repeated at intervals until all the group of plays were available and could be rotated in performance from week to week. The plays selected would cover a wide range, from popular Kaufman-Hart comedies to the more serious landmarks in stage history, bringing to the audience in one season a broad sweep of theatrical progress.

There are a great many cities that could and would support such a Repertory organization, were it formed. The great difficulty that impedes such a plan is that the Shubert Brothers of Broadway control practically every weather-proof theatre east of the Mississippi, and would set the rent at a sky-high figure if they were not partial to the idea, which they haven't been in the past. There are some groups already participating in the permanent Repertory idea: Jasper Decter's Hedgerow Theatre outside of Philadelphia; the Michael Chekhov Players, established in Ridgefield, Conn,. but almost constantly on tour; the Seattle Repertory Playhouse; the Cleveland Play House; and here in Boston, on a lesser scale, the New England Repertory Company, a brave little organization, constantly gaining in support.

During the war the small town, shut off by the gas shortage and other transportation difficulties, will rediscover itself and the Repertory Theatre will come into its own. No longer will New York and Hollywood dictate the entertainment wants of the nation. The people once again will be in control of their own theatre.