FOLGER THEATRE TO CLOSE; ‘IT’S A NO-FAULT DECISION’

The Folger Theatre, known worldwide for its renditions of Shakespeare and other classical works, will close this summer.

“The Folger Theatre has been closed by trustees of Amherst College,” spokeswoman Regan Byrne announced. “The trustees of Amherst feel the theater is a financial drain on the endowment.”

But the current season will continue through June 30 with three more productions: “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Hamlet” and a third show yet to be announced.

The Folger is “the nation’s foremost classical theater,” Byrne said. “We’re dedicated to doing Shakespeare because of our affiliation” with the Folger Shakespeare Library. Both are on Capitol Hill.

The library houses one of the world’s most respected collections of Shakespeare’s works and attracts scholars from around the globe.

“The loss of this theater is a loss to everyone in this city,” the Folger’s artistic producer, John Neville-Andrews, said.

Folger Library Director Werner Gundersheimer said the theater has been losing as much as $200,000 a year, a $1.5-million loss during the last nine years.

In an effort to reduce the strain on the library’s $2-million annual budget, the theater became self-supporting in 1980. But because of the limited seating, it was not able to keep up with the costs of production.

“The theater is good,” Gundersheimer said. “It’s had its ups and downs like any theater. It’s a no-fault decision. It simply reflects the realities we face here.”

Gundersheimer said an ad hoc committee has been studying the theater’s financial bind since August.

The committee decided that an appeal to the community for financial support would not answer the theater’s long-term need for survival. But the library hopes to provide new ways of producing the classics through chamber theaters, high school productions and visiting touring companies.