N.Y. Directors, Actors May Conduct Seminars

Members of the English Department hope to bring Broadway directors and actors to Harvard in the next few years. According to Harry T. Levin '33, Irving Babbitt Professor of Comparative Literature, tentative plans for such a program have long been "the private fantasy" of many Faculty members concerned with drama in the College.

Levin said yesterday, however, that any program will require extensive discussion and refinement before it can be submitted for University consideration, and that money would have to be raised to finance the project.

William Alfred, professor of English, envisions the program as one in which a director or an actor from Broadway would come to Harvard for a semester to conduct a seminar similar to the one now given in poetry by Robert T.S. Lowell '30, visiting professor of English, "However, this concept implies course credit; and, on this issue there is considerable debate," Alfred added.

Levin is not worried about the credit question. "We already have the students with talent and time. They don't need credit, they need guidance. "He suggested a parallel to the Nieman Fellows program. As Levin conceives of them, the fellows in theatre would "consult" informally with students and conduct noncredit seminars.

Focus on Direction

The initial focus of the program would probably be "direction," which Levin cited as a subject of "tremendous academic possibilities."

Alan Schnelder, who is presently directing an off-Broadway production of Edward Albee's Tiny Alice, told Levin two weeks ago that he is sure that, if the schedule were sufficiently flexible, Broadway directors would accept invitations to come to Harvard.

The recently released Rockefeller Panel Report on the Performing Arts said "it is only a question of time before specialized training in the performing arts will... be accepted as an appropriate role for institutions of higher education." The report noted that at present Harvard's policy is to assign the performing arts--theatre, music, and dance--to the extracurricular area of student activity.