Lakewood Players

As the lights went down and the curtain was about to open, Bob Jones, chairman of the board of directors for the Lakewood Players, looked worriedly around the theater at the sparse audience. He had been concerned about ticket sales ever since the managing/artistic director, Scott White, had begun putting on what Jones considered “experimental” plays—plays with titles no one recognized, by unknown writers, and not considered well-written. This past season included plays such as Inside Out, and Lloyd’s Prayer, as well as The Crucifer of Blood (see Figure C14.1). As the play was about to begin, Jones whispered to his wife, “We need to get more action in front of the curtain than behind the curtain.”