1948 National Theater Washington DC Controversial boycott old Oklahoma Program

Description

UP FOR AUCTION:
July 1948 Controversial old National Theater Washington DC PROGRAM vtg
Rodgers &
Hammerstein Musical Play OKLAHOMA
Program Measures: 16
pages, approx. 12" x 9" x .2"
Playbill Measures : approx. 12.5" x 5"
This is an original, old, July, 1948, issue of the National Theater (Washington DC) Program and Playbill.  It has pictures and many articles about the people involved in the Theater Production.
Wilton Clary played Curly, and Carolyn Tanner played Laurey in this production.
According to my research online, July, 1948, was a very controversial time for the National Theater:
"
While The National could long depend on filling its houses, the sad fact is that it did not always fill them equitably. Throughout the history of American theatre, including in nation’s capital, African Americans were consistently denied full rights to entry and seating.  Though slavery had long been abolished, discriminatory practices in the name of Jim Crow segregation continued well into the 1940s and beyond – including at The National. Eventually, those practices, not another fire or financial failure, would result in yet another closure. After a series of legal challenges and protests, a host of major theatre professionals, including actors Helen Hayes and Zero Mostel and renowned musical lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, signed a boycott pledge against The National."
"Eventually, the Actors Equity Association, backed by the Dramatists Guild, announced that no member of their union would be permitted to perform unless the discriminatory practices were abolished. When The National’s leadership declared it would not change its own policies until more inclusive policies were adopted throughout the city, its days were effectively numbered.
The National Theatre closed on July 31st, 1948 with a farewell production of Oklahoma! and was later converted into a movie house.
You can learn more about desegregation efforts in Washington, D.C. by visiting National Theatre, National Politics. Ultimately, after working so hard to establish firm foundations, The National’s leadership had let it down by failing to change."
(from thenationaldchistory.org)
Considering this was an Oscar Hammerstein production, this program may represent a step in the right direction for American theatre.  Hammerstein was one of the signers of the
boycott against The National's RACIST POLICIES
.
See actual items in
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pics above: overall, a nice, vintage, 1948, theater program and playbill.
PLEASE NOTE: PROGRAM WAS SLIGHTLY TOO LARGE FOR MY SCANNER; AND  MY PICTURES ARE ONLY PARTIAL PICTURES OF THE ACTUAL BOOK.  PLEASE READ "FULL DESCRIPTION" FOR MORE DETAILS.
Good Plus Condition
[(
Vintage, Orig, July, 1948, National Theater 16-page Program and original Playbill); Program has edge-wear including small edge-tears and tiny creases at corners (see pics), program's front cover has 2 or 3 tiny smudges (see pics; shows very lightly on first 2 pages), Playbill has a small tear at bottom edge (see pics); otherwise, Program and Playbill are well-bound, clean, unmarked, tight, and well-illustrated ]
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