Lack of Patronage Pulls Down Curtain On Repertory Plays

A bold experiment in the American theatre ended Saturday as Repertory Boston bowed to the lack of patronage that has plagued the group since it began two months ago.

The announcement to close came just three days after the company's chief director, Stephen A. Aaron '57, had resigned over policy disagreements. These presumably had to do with proposals to rescue the floundering company.

Founded as a non-profit organization by Aaron, Dean Gitter '56, and John G. Eyre '58, the group sought to re-establish repertory theater in the United States. It used only actors from a permanent company and was to alternate five plays over a season extending from March through June.

Actually, only three plays have been produced so far, Six Characters in Search of an Author, The Importance of Being Earnest, and The Power and the Glory.

Repertory Boston productions, although they were often favorably reviewed, failed from the beginning to attract a sufficient audience. Frequently the mammoth Wilbur Theatre had fewer than 100 people in the house, leading to jests that often there were more people on stage than in the audience.