The town of Stratford, Connecticut is trying to revive the venerable American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, Conn. in “a long-range, $50 million redevelopment plan intended to turn it into a ‘prominent player in American drama and the entertainment industry.’ The theatre fell on tough financial times during the late ’60s and early ’70s due to a slowdown in the economy and the loss of some key financial supporters. [It] struggled along into the 1980s, but when hoped-for success failed to follow ‘Othello’ in 1981, the theatre closed.”