PAYNE, B. IDEN

(1881-1976)

The distinguished theatre manager and director emigrated from England to the United States in 1913 to managelittle theatresin Philadelphia and Chicago, with occasional Broadway productions, including the first stagings ofLangdonMitchell'sMajor Pendennisand John Galsworthy'sJustice, starringJohn Barrymore, both in 1916. His final Broadway ventures,Embezzled Heaven(1944), a rare failure for Ethel Barrymore, andThe Winter's Tale(1946), were not well-received, but Payne spent most of his career (1919-1934) as professor of drama at the Carnegie Institute of Technology, followed by other academic jobs.