Culture for Export

In three evenings a group of American ambassadors scored a triumph for the U.S. that diplomats or dollars have rarely matched. The language was international, and the Americans spoke it eloquently. The successful envoys: the 102 members of the touring Philadelphia Orchestra and Conductor Eugene Ormandy. When Budapest-born, U.S.-naturalized Ormandy and his musicians finished their series of Paris concerts last week, they had a fistful of rave reviews.

The Philadelphia, now on its first continental tour, will play in more than a dozen other cities from Lisbon to Helsinki. But its Paris visit was special: it was part of a "Salute to France" that is also offering Parisians the New York City Ballet plus topnotch stage productions of Oklahoma!, Medea and The Skin of Our Teeth.* The U.S. has discovered that American culture is a highly exportable commodity. (In 1953 and 1954 the U.S.S.R. spent $3,000,000 on cultural propaganda in Europe, sent 2,000 Soviet artists into France alone.)

Chief planner of the cultural export drive is the International Exchange Program of ANTA (American National Theater and Academy), a privately financed, nonprofit organization, which has been sending American artists abroad with its own funds since the late 1940s. Last August, Congress appropriated $5,000,000 for U.S. participation in foreign-trade fairs and cultural events, asked ANTA to be its contractor for talent, and set aside $2,250,000 for it to get the program rolling. ANTA utilizes panels of top critics to select its export talent (mostly big-name, to attract attention), depends on professional managers to supervise productions. Although the Government sometimes gets requests from Congressmen to send little home-town bands abroad, it leaves the selection completely to ANTA. When possible, ANTA picks groups that have already planned a tour, offers to underwrite all or part of their losses. U.S. artists have made a good impression abroad, have outshone closely guarded Russians by being free and easy mixers, playing with anyone who wants to join them.

ANTA's ambitious plans for the summer and fall call for sending the New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra to Europe, Ballet Theater and a symphony orchestra to Latin America, Dancer Martha Graham to the Far and Near East.

-- With Helen Hayes, Mary Martin, and (in his first acting job in 21 years) famed Playwright-Producer-Director George Abbott.

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