The Theatre Guild was a theatrical society founded by Lawrence Langner in New York City in 1918, with the purpose of producing noncommercial american and foreign plays. It differed from other theaters at the time in that its board of directors shared the responsibility of choosing plays, management, and production. Staging works mainly at the Westport Country Playhouse, the Theatre Guild was influential to the success of Broadway in the 1920s. Theatre is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle — indeed any one or more elements of the other performing arts. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture. ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The Westport Country Playhouse is a theatre in Westport, Connecticut, founded in 1930 by Lawrence Langner and his wife. ... Broadway theatre is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ...