The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-09-04
HOW 1T CAME ABOUT.
Tho Way Popular Play Was Written and
an Old Custom Reyolutionized.

an Old Custom RevoluttonZed.
In "Leaves from Dramatist's Diary" Dion
Boucicault relates how be came to write one
Of his most successful plays. 1t was toward
the close Of 1859 that Boucicault entered into
an engagement with Miss Laura keene to
perform five months at her theatre, the
Olympic, in New York He opened in "Jen-
ME Deans" which moi with great success,
and was followed In time By VANITY Fair" )"
comedy in three acts, which failed. MI.
Boucicault, who writes his "reminiscences in
the third person, so to speak, continues in
these words: "This work had been relied on
to carry the engagements prosperously to
this end OF May; twelve weeks Of disaster lay
ahead, in which all the profits of the season
and more, t"o, must inevitably disappear.
Have you nothng-no subject, no play
half writtenl Can you think Of nothing to
replace this unlocked for collapseT pleaded
Hiss Keene.
81 have nothing replied Boucicauit, 'ex.
cepting a very poor sketch Of Little Dorrit,
and another of BLEAK House." but let us
meet tomorrow and talk it out
ut was bitter night, and the slect, driven
by northerly blast lashed the authors face
as be turned up Broadway. A few doors FROM
the theatre dim light in cellar showed
that thrifty little Italian who sold cheap
publications and small stationery, invited the
belate! pedestrian to buy "a home made cigar.
His name was Brentano Descending into
the den, where he knew he would find the
usual display Of ten cent literature, Bouc
cault asked for two novels, over which he in
tended to spend the hours Of the night. Bren
tano pointed TO shelf where Scanty row Of
cheap novels represented his stock IL trade;
from these the visitor selected dozen at
hazard, and with the pockets Of his overcoat
stuffed, hc pushed his way through the sleet
and darkness to Union square, near which Il G
resided The following morning Miss kecne
received this letter:
My DEAR LAuRA-l have IT, send you seven
steel encrLviugS Of scenes around Killarney Get
your sc-uc painter u work on them at once. !
also S.ui :. book of Irish tt.rIoies. with those
marked desire Baker TO score for tho orchestra
| shall rend act one Of my new Irish play Fri.
day. we rehearse that while am writing the sec
ond, which will be ready on Monday; and We re
hearse the second while am doing the third We
can get the play out within fortnight
Yours, D. B.
Among the books picked up at Brentanos 5
Griffin. Throwing it aside Boucicault evolved
The Colleen Bawn' These incidents may
appear too trivial for such particular record.
but these results will be seen to have a signal
Importance. The least important was the
revolution effected by this play in what may
be termed the Irish drama and the repreScn-
tation Of Irish character. But the advcn-
lures Of the Colleen Bawn in England viii
be seen to have contributed mainly to fun.
,iamental change in theatrical affairs
throughout the world. In September, 1860,
it was produced in London at the Adelphi
theatre, and its success enabled Mr. Bouci-
rault to carry out the plans he had vainly
endeavored to put into operation in 1852. He
refused to allow the Colleen Bawn' to be
played on royalty or fees. He engaged four
comedians, Mr.. joan Drew, Mr.. Sloane, Mrs.
Shane and Mrs Hudson Kirby, and instruct
ed them in the principal characters. he Of.
fered the play as the star, supported by this
group Of American comedians. He e1pe-
rieuced much resistance on the part Of man.
ayers in the provincial theatres, but at las:
his terms were accepted, the play became the
thing and the author received half the gross
receipts A second and a third company
were organized and sent out.
"In tho following year he sent out 'The
Streets Of London and In 1865 be sent out
three companies with 'Arrah-na-Pogue.
The leading dramatic authors, perceiving
the very large profits accruing from this new
method, began to secede from the Dramatic
Authors society, and to follow the new
method. under which the name Of the author
CT the play was starred and his Importance
recognized The provincial theatres became
80 overrun with these new companies that
managers proposed to the authors to send
out, not groups, but entire companies OF
comedians. BY such means the managers
could dispense with local companies alto
gether This suggestion was accepted, and
thus stock companies were swept away.
"At meeting Of the French dramatists
and composers, held in Paris in 1866, Mr..
Boucicault described this new methods OF
harvesting the provincial theatres. The
shrewd and practical Frenchmen adopted
the idea at once But it was not until after
1872 that the United States finally gave up
stock companies and adopted the new sys-
tenn"