The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-09-26
HOW IT CAME ABOUT.
The Way . Popular Play Was Writes asd
an ola Cusaosn Revolutiomisca.

TIE Way . Popalar Play Wss Writtes and
sn Old Custom ReveSuttonised.
In "Leavcs from a Dramntist's Diary"
Dion Boascicault relates how he came tn
write one Of his most successful plays. IL
was toward the close of 1853 that Bouci-
cault entered into an engagement with
Miss Laura keenc tn perform live months
mt her theatcr, the Olympic, In New York.
He opened i'm s'Jennie Dcans,'' which met
with great success, and was ollowcd I'm
time by "vanity Fair,"a comedy I'm three
acts, which failed. Mr.. Boucicault. who
writes his "Reminiscences i'm the third per
SON, M to speak, continues in these words;
.sThis work had been relied on To carry
the engagements p-rosperossly to the end
of MAY; twelve weeks of disaster lay ahead
in which all the profits OF t,c s.asnm' and
play Haif-writ,en Can YOU think Of
lapse" pleaded Mrs. Kecne:
excepting "a very, poor sketch OF Little
but let us meet tomorrow and talk IL out
ut was ~ bitter night and the siect,
driven by a nortl,eriy ni"s,, iRsl,e% ,,e
A few days from the theatcr a dim light i'm
a cellar showed that ~ thrifty little Italian.
=s Sna n%,s f invited the sei"ted p"i
tn buy "a homemade cigar. His name was
Bretano. Descending into the den, where
of 1O-cent literature, Botlcicault asked
for two novels. over which Inc intended to
spend the hours of the night. Brentano
cheap novels represented his stock in
trade. From these the visitor selected u
his overcoat stuffed he pushed his way
through the slcet and darkness to Union
square. near which he resided. The fol-
morning Miss kccne received this letter:
seven s.ss .t sasr.s.nss q ss':%ss aroanS Kiliiar:
once. I also send ~ book OF Irish melodies, with
.@%S., ,ssiSi j shan i " rsaG ar %'s Sne !, q SaStH new SSr irish ISL
play ON Friday; we rclearse that while am
,;.Si And .n we sf rsSss.r ~.i sSs w s.ao me- Willy Willy ! "a ai M% do
ing the Third. We eau got the play ont within a
Among the hooks picked up. at Bren-
tano's was, happily, The Collegians,' by
eaais sv sars,,.n The e9 Goiics% B B sSa.s . Tnsse
incidents may appear too trivial for such
particular record. hut these results will be
least important was the revolution cf-
fcctcd by this play i'm what may he termed
the Irish drama and the representation of
THE Colleen Bawm' i'm England will
bc seen to have contributed mainly to "a
fnndamen.al change IN theatrical affairs
issO. Il was produced in London at the.
Adleiphi thcaier, and it's success enabled
had vnimiy to pnt in operation
in 1859. He refused to allow ''The Col
iccn Bawn' to he played ON royalty or
john john Drew hs 'p NJ: sloan ae. Mrs. Si"a%e..
and Mrs. hudson Kirby and in
str,lctcd them i'm the principal characters.
He offered the play as the star, sup
ported by this group OF American come
dams. He experienced much resistance
on the part of managers i'm the provincial
theatres, hut at last his terms were az
ccptssl, the play became the thing, and
the author received half the gross re-
ceipts. A second and "a third
wers, organized and sent ont.
D'In the following year he sent ont The
Streets Of London and i'm 1855 he sent
out three companions with 'Arrah-na-
ogue.' The eadinR dramatic authors,
perceivinR the very large profits accruing
from this new method, hogan to secede
from the Dramatic Authors society and
tai follow the new method, under which
the name Of the author Of the play was
starred and his importance recognized.
The provincial theatres became so over
run with these new companies That man
ayers proposed tn the authors to send
out. not groups, hut entire companies of
comedians. BY such means the man.
ayers could dispense with local companies
altogether. This suggestion was accepted,
aad thus stock companies were swept
away.
"At n meeting OF the French
and composers. held in Paris in 1866, MIR.
Bolicicatilt described this new method of
harvesting the provincial theaters. The
shrewd and practical Frenchmen adopted
the idea at once But il was not until
after 1872 that the United States finally
gave mp stock companies and adopted the
new system.