Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-05-06

The Ability that Is Needed i'm Order to
Write Good Play.
From the New York Sun.


Ing said the manager of one of the first stock
theaters to a reporter. "Plays are sent to me at
the rate of two or three a day, and there are at
least six more theaters in New York and Boston
where the same average is maintained. Taking
a low estimate, this would mean about $500
plays offered yearly in these two cities. exclu-
siye of the works of foreign authors placed in
the hands of recognized dramatic agents. But
these do not exhaust the bill. for nearly every
local manager throughout the country, although
he does not keep stock company, is continu-
ally being pestered by some ambitious towns
man who has a sure fortune bound up in a
quarter of a ream of foolscap. Probably it would
be well within the figures 10 say that g. 900 plays
are annually written in this country
"From what class of persons 10 those sent you
Gomez"
People of all sorts and conditions seem to
have caught the mania. Judges of the Su-
preme Court, lawyers doctors, merchants, art
lists ladies whose names are familiar a. leaders
even hotel porters have sent me their efforts.
Here is book containing the names of the
plays sent in this season. 1t has fifty pages,
thirty lines to page. and YOU see that il ism I
very far from full. Yet from all that number
have found only one that 1 would venture to
produce in the shape in which it was sent.
Others contain good ideas but need q practical
dramatist TO rewrite and reconstruct them.
Il don't believe, taking into account all the
stars of even the smallest magnitude. that fifty
new American plays are produced each season
OF these nifty, twenty may succeed and bring
can reckon out the percentage. 1t il about one
third OF one per cent. Probably no other field
of labor would show such an appalling proper
ton of failure. And remember that an unpro-
duced or unprOducible play is the most worth
less thing Imaginable. Let me show you my
graveyard.
The manager led the way to a large room I'M
der the auditorium. Opening the doors of vast
cupboards he showed stacks of parcels, each
having the name OF a play and its author. On
many the dust lay so thick as TO show they had
not been disturbed for what the manager called
many moons.
why do you call this your graveyarde''
"Because so many hopes lie buried there
1t always makes me sad To think how much
labor bias been wasted and how many heart
burnings have arisen over those parcels. With
what glorious anticipatonS many of them have
been sent away and with what anxiety the
managers verdict has been awaited! The
strangest thing to me is that so many plays are
never sent for. suppose the authors become
discouraged at the reports they receive and
abandon their once cherished babies to the
mercies of my creche Ali authors, however,
not heartless. but demand formal re-
ceipts for their dramas, and threaten dire
penalties if any delay occurs in reading and
return. Let us go back to my office; the
atmosphere ofthis crypt is depressing"
ITO what do you attribute the Americans in
ability TO produce good plays, when he Is so sue
cessful in nearly every other branch OF litera-
turee' inquired the reporter when he was again
seated in the managers cosy sanctum.
TO the one important fact that literature has
very little to do with the manufacture of an or
dinarily good play. That remark makes you
stare. but it is true. nevertheless. Except in a
tragedy or some little poetic idyll, the language
of play is of the least Importance. OF course
II must not be positively bad but it is aI-sufti-
Gent if ii is just respectable. Plot situations
and character are Of infinitely greater import
ance than dialogue, and the concoivng. hand
ling and development of these for stage puIr-
poses require a thorough knowledge OF the con-
ditiOn undcr which they are to he presented.
cally would be far more likely to put together a
paying play than would Your most accomp-
1ished litterateur who hadn't for years made a
close study of theatrical conditions. Look at
Tennysons repeated failures despite the most
favorable auspices. Even Bulwer-Lytton never
succeeded as dramatist except i'll the three
under the constant advice and supervision of
Maeready. What adire failure his 'Junius' has
said, lose $4,000 in trying il for a month.
You would probably fancy that some OF our
American novelists would be able to- give us
good pictures of contemporary society, but it is
an open secret that Henry James undertook to
dramatic his Daisy Miller for the Madison
Square theater. and that the result SO I'M
promising that it was not produced. Even Mrs.
Burnett had to get an actor to- help her to put
her story of 'Esneralda into dramatic form.
Charles Reade was never very successful for the
theater, except with the aid of a hack like Tom
Taylor. Dickens and Thackery both tailed as
has been divorced from our stage it is only
necessary TO point out the class of French plays
that has been neglected. Anglers writings
have true Literary value. and are extensively
read IN France. as well as acted. Here they
are almost unknown; while SardOu, who pos
sesSes the perfection of clevernesS III construc-
ton. and whose dialogue is only sufficient, is
generally regarded the ablest OF French
dramatists. His Fedora will make a fortune
for its owner in this country, while Anglers
lie fills de Giboyer' would probably not draw
for week. Yet no judge OF the merit of the
best kind of literary and dramatic work thinks
the former In any respect the equal OF the lat
ter.
ITO know how to bring people on and off the
stage naturally and effectively, how to move
them about from pairs To groups and vice versa,
how to dovetail situations and bring about CHI
makes, can only be learned in the theater, not,
perhaps, necessarily on the stage, but from fire.
Quent study OF performances. Then, too, the
who have not spoken ii. There is or should be-
all the difference in the world between writing
what is to be read and that to be spoken. The
latter must be clear, concise, couchcd inovery
short sentences. and SO arranged that the EN-
phasls must suit the breathing powers. Then,
too, the position of the climax of a speech must
be carefully considered. In a novel the strong
est point may be made anywhere: on the stage
1t must be in the last words, or else both the
point and all that comes after ii will be lost.
Then, too, the use and value of business move
ment upon the stage and the use OF properties
Is not understood by the ordinary writer. He
Will make people sit down or stand up and hold
q long conversation without ever changing
their positions. The practised dramatist knows
eyes, so he constantly makes his people move
about and turns their conversation around
some visible object, like the milk Jug in
School, the goldfish in Two Roses the wall
paper in Caste. &c, &C.
You must come across some queer charac-
tiers among the would-be dramatists''
well, should think SO. And the ladies are
the worst and the most persever.ng. There
was one the other day slipped past the box
ONCE ana walked In without announce
ment- She was dOuble-barrelled. armed with
two plays, a comedy and drama and wanted
To read them both to me there and then. Itried
To excuse myself saying had only "a few min
utes to spare. Then III read You one act
now, she said, and She calmly Invested herself
OIL her nat and coat while she held me with her
ghttering eye. / sat still under the inIiiction.
and at the end OF the act had to tell her the
piece was quite out OF keeping with the cflarac-
ter of my theater. Then hear some of the
other she answered, / know that will please.
YOU was Obliged 10 decline. but assured her
II she would leave the manuscript would read
1t at my earliest convenience. oh, / prefer To-
read IT myself. When will you appoint "a time
10 hear it?' told her that my time was then
so much occupied with getting up a new play
that couldn't name a day when could spare
the necessary two or three hours. Then give
me hall an hour each afternoon, and will come
and read an act a day till i get through That
was a staggereri got rid OF her at last, and if
ever she gets in here again some body S head will
drop into the basket.
''Heres a letter got not long ago which for pure
modesty it would be difficult to surpass. Snip
pose you copy part of il. wont give you the
name of the writer, but IL is from some one
whose name is not unknown a novelist" After
brief introduction the letter ran thus:
The comedy is new and odd, refined and
sparkling. The literary portion of the work
bored by reading mass of silly yirbia9e, but a
really good strong play-beautiful, pure, humor-
Gus. sympathetic.
"That ought to have been a good piece OBJ
served the reporter.
well, ought stood for naught in that case
The plot was stale and the comedy dull"
what is the usual remuneration for plays