{"value"=>"<p>The ANTA Matinee Series began in 1956 with the stage adaptation of Alan Paton's novel, <span class=\"title\">Cry the Beloved Country</span>, and concluded with the 20th Anniversary Gala on December 1, 1975. Miss Lortel was the artistic director of the series and it was one of the highlights of her long career. Not unlike her vision for the White Barn Theatre, ANTA became an arena for innovation, unusual interpretations of literary works and non-commercial productions. Playwrights, directors and performers were encouraged to experiment with different forms. In addition to drama, performances included: dance and verse dramas, readings, anthologized musicals, operas, and staged adaptations of works of poetry. Many of the performances at the White Barn later came to ANTA. In turn, ANTA often became a launching pad for Off-Broadway productions. The Series was held at Miss Lortel's Theatre de Lys in New York City. Miss Lortel championed the work of European writers, notably Kafka, Beckett, and Ionesco, and introduced them to American audiences. Originally there was only one performance of each work, held on Tuesday afternoons. Performances were later extended to Monday evenings, permitting many professional theater people to attend and perform there. Productions were lean in terms of budget, remuneration and rehearsal time; no scenery was allowed and costumes and props were minimal. Performance highlights include: Langston Hughes' <span class=\"title\">Shakespeare in Harlem</span>, Athol Fugard's <span class=\"title\">Hello and Goodbye</span>, John Dos Passos' <span class=\"title\">U.S.A.</span>, Eugene Ionesco's <span class=\"title\">The Shepherd's Chameleon</span> and <span class=\"title\">Victims of Duty</span>, John Steinbeck's <span class=\"title\">The Long Valley</span>, Tennessee Williams' <span class=\"title\">I Rise in Flames, Cried the Phoenix</span>, Franz Kafka's <span class=\"title\">Metamorphosis</span>, Samuel Beckett's <span class=\"title\">Embers</span>, Sean O'Casey's <span class=\"title\">Time To Go</span>, <span class=\"title\">Figuro in the Night</span> and <span class=\"title\">The Moon Shines on Kylenamoe</span>, Eugene O'Neill's <span class=\"title\">Before Breakfast</span>, Conrad Aiken's <span class=\"title\">The Coming Forth by Day of Osiris Jones</span>, Margaret Webster's <span class=\"title\">The Brontes</span>, Frank O' Connor's <span class=\"title\">Guests of the Nation</span>, James Thurber's <span class=\"title\">The Catbird Seat</span>, and Katherine Ann Porter's <span class=\"title\">Pale Horse, Pale Rider</span>. On a trip to Europe, Miss Lortel became acquainted with the work of Mario Fratti and brought his works, <span class=\"title\">The Academy</span> and <span class=\"title\">The Return</span>, to ANTA in 1963. As a result of her dedication to novelty and talent, actors that performed there include: Helen Hayes, Peggy Wood, Sybil Thorndike, Mildred Dunnock, Cathleen Nesbitt, Richard Burton, Clarence Derwent and Lotte Lenya. The series also dramatized the work of such poets as Langston Hughes, Conrad Aiken, Robert Frost, W.H. Auden and Archibald MacLeish. The files commence with the history file, followed by the season and individual production files. The season files list the productions and cast for the season, which was usually from fall to the following spring. The production files contain programs, invitations, fliers, correspondence, press releases, clippings, scripts, as well as texts of the symposiums that followed the productions. The 20th Anniversary booklet and the program, invitations, guest lists, press releases and clippings for the gala follow the production files. For more information about ANTA and copies of <span class=\"title\">Chapter One</span>, the ANTA publication, see ANTA in the Organization Series.</p>"}