The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-01-16
HOW PLAYS ARE WRITTEN.
INew York Sum-


 Dramatic authorship is prize much coveted by the literati of every country Many attempt play writing. but few sue ceed. Dramatic composition requires a knowledge of the stage as we'll as literary skill with an inventive genius for contriv. ing striking situations and climaxes, which tell their own story as tableaux, where in novel elaborate description would be required. Play-writing has been recently discussed in an English periodical, wherein number of the more popular dramatic authors described their methods. The only rule that may be ac- cepted as such in dramatic composition is that the drama should be first written as pantomime. A story that can be conveyed as pantomime will always act well, and the dialogue will suit the ac- tion, which is the secret of success in dra- matic literature. Nearly all the popular plays would make good pantomimes- that is to say, they could be acted as pan- tomimes and be perfectly ineligible to the spectator. Those plays which re quire in the dialogue description of events passed and to come could not be acted as pantomimes, and seldom achieve popular success. The secret of the sue. cess, for instance, of the new popular English dramatist, MT. Henry Jones is that he has observed this rule, for there Is nothing particularly original in his plots or brilliant in his dialogue, while his characterization is ofthe most teyeotyped conventional type. Any of his later and most successful plays" The Silver King,"" Saints and Sinners and Hood man Blind," for instance-couldb be acted as pantomimes.
 So can all the more successful plays of Boucicault. So, too, with Robertson's more successful comedies. Any number of plays very brilliant as literary work could be mentioned which could not stand the test of being transformed into pantomimes, and which are more popu- lar with the students of literature than with theatre-go Chats with our lead- ing dramatic authors reveal the fact that there IS no more system among them than among their English confreres, with the difference that on the other side they are, perhaps, more earnest and hon. est in their work.
 Bronson Howard, who has evidently been inspired in his work by an honest literary ambition, always carefully maps out his plots before he thinks of anything else, although all the while he has his eyes and ears open studying characters which he intends to utilize some day in a play. Having completed the development of his story to the end, so that that part of the work is of his mind, having, SO to speak, secured the cloth, he proceeds to cut 1t in the shape he has adopted, and arranged his climaxes and curtain scenes. He inclines to four acts, the introductory, the beginning, the development, the end. He selects his characters, develops their business and then devotes himself to the dialogue. He never forces himself to work, and is very lenient with his muse, indeed. He generally prepares every thing mentally, and seldom rewrites, never putting anything on paper until he is thoroughly satisfied with it. He never feels his work is done until the play is produced and the usual rehearsal the next morning is over. He does not care to work under contract, because he does not like to be forced in his work, and is satisfied if he writes one drama a year.
 Bartley Campbell is another journalist who has devoted himself to play-writing, and who has carried the ready-at-ail- times system of the sanctum to the desk of the playwright, in that he is ready to plunge into his work at moments no- tice. Like most newspaper men, he leaves his work until the last moment, and then dashes it of against time. Sometimes the inspiration of the spur oi the moment is better than more carefully studious work. Some of his later pro- ductions have been injured by hurled, careless work. He gets an idea and then some situations; he draughts an act or moro, and dashes 1t off. Stunted for an- other act he stops work until fresh in-