Electra Off-Broadway
In 1958, Dr. McIlrath brought actress Judith Evelyn to KCU to star in an academic production of Electra, an ancient play by Sophocles. Judith Evelyn was a moderately popular film, theatre, and TV actress at the time.
Evelyn’s appearance in the KCU production of Electra led to a great deal of local publicity. The Kansas City Star and other local newspapers ran laudatory articles and interviews with Evelyn. A local car dealership even lent her a Buick Electra for her time in Kansas City.41
The play was hugely successful in Kansas City, with Dr. McIlrath writing that they had had to turn away “hundreds” of prospective audience members because the theatre was already sold out.38
Judith Evelyn was so excited by the production that she worked to move it to an off-Broadway theatre in New York City. However, none of the cast and crew, aside from Dr. McIlrath, Evelyn, and KCU student Tom Buckley, went to New York for the new production. Instead, according to Dr. McIlrath, Evelyn cast "her friends," such as Francis Adler, Joan Westmore, Murray Matheson, and Richard Herd.26, 2 The costumes and sets were also completely new.
Dr. McIlrath reported during rehearsals of the off-Broadway production that “everything (was) going fine” and that although she “had to trim the original production because of more limited stage facilities” it would “be a minor revision.”21 Unfortunately, years later Dr. McIlrath said that she felt that she had not had “full control of production and direction.”32 Dr. Felicia Londré stated that Dr. McIlrath had difficulty standing up to the New York producers, who “insisted on all kinds of last-minute changes.”24
Never, for a minute, did I lose my faith in God’s help or my dream. I knew, somehow, it could and would happen. Dr. McIlrath's reaction after the poor reception to Electra in NYC
The production was not well received in New York and Dr. McIlrath described it as “an artistic failure.” She wrote that she was “frankly appalled by production conditions Off-Broadway" which led her to want to work towards the “decentralization of theatre.”33
The negative experience of bringing Electra to New York ultimately motivated Dr. McIlrath to work towards founding the Missouri Repertory Theatre. Despite her disappointment in her off-Broadway experience, she said that “never, for a minute, did I lose my faith in God’s help or my dream. I knew, somehow, it could and would happen." Dr. McIlrath later said, “I told my Dear Lord in Heaven, that in his name I was consecrating my life, however long it might take, to rebuild the good reputation of KCU theatre,” and “to unite Town and Gown in all metropolitan Kansas City; and to persuade professionals to stay on to join our work, our dream, so that no one- students, artists or audiences– need fear our passion for excellence, and our objectives.”26
