ABSTRACT
In 1959 the Ford Foundation, at the time a major catalyst in the development of the American regional theatre movement, hosted a conference of theatre artists to discuss the state of the art. The Beaumont, designed by architect Eero Saarinen with Jo Mielziner did, in fact, attempt to graft a rounded thrust stage onto a very deep end-stage. Because the theatre was intended to house a repertory company something almost non-existent in the contemporary American theatre- the huge stage was designed to accommodate the anticipated scenic storage. In most cases at least some aspects of the original architecture and decor were preserved and incorporated into the fabric of the theatre and even into the very structure of performance. Interestingly, the desire for interactive theatre experiences today has been subsumed by so-called immersive theatre. A block away from the opera house was the abandoned Majestic Theatre, which had been built in 1904 to house drama, musicals, and vaudeville.
