Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-09-06
HOW IT CAME ABOUT.
The Way a Popui ar Play was Written and
AN Old Custom Revolutionizsd

And
an Old Custom Revolutionized.
In Leaves from a Dramatist's Diary ~ Dion
boucicault relates how he 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 y ork. He opened in "Jen-
nie Deans" which met with great success.
ana was followed IN time by VANITY Fair, ~
comedy In three acts, which failed. Mr..
boucicault, who writes his "reminiscences In
the third person, 30 TO speak, continues in
these words: This work had been relied on
70 carry the engagements prosperously to
the end of May; twelve weeks of disaster Law
ahead' In which all the profits of the season
ana more, too, mus inevitably disappear.
Have you nothng-no subject, no play
haii writteni Can you think of nothing to
replace this unlocked for collapser' pleaded
Miss Keene.
" i have nothing replied Boucicault. .ex.
'eptlhg very poor sketch of Little Dorrit, ~
md another Of BLEAK House, but let ms
Meet tomorrow AMI talk it out
1T was a bitter n ght, and the sleet. driven
by northerly blast, lashed the authors face
rs he turned up Broadway. A few doors from
the theatre dim light in "a cellar showed
that thrifty little Italian, who soId cheap
publications aud sm all stationery, invited the
oeiated pedestrian u buya home made cigar
tils name was Brentano. Descending into
the den, where he Knew he would find the
usual display of ten cent literature, Bouci-
cault asked for two novels, over which he in
tended 10 spend the hours of the night Bren-
tano pointed 70 a shelf where a scauty row of
cheap novels represented his stock in trade;
from these the Wis tor selected a dozen at
hazard, and with the pockets of his oyercoat
stuffed, he pushed his way through the sleet
ana darkness TO Union square, near which he
Resided. The following morning Miss Keene
received this letter:
MY DEAR LAURA have itI l send you seven
steel engravings of scenes around Killarney Get
your scene painter to work on them at once |
also send book of Irish melodies, with those
marked desire Baker To score for the orchestra
shall read act one OF my new Irish play on Fri
day; We rehearse that while am writing the sec
ond, which will be ready on Monday; and we re
heaTse the second whils / am doing the third We
can get the play out thin fortnight
Yours, DR.
Among the books picked up at Brentano's
was, happily, The Collegians,' by Gerald
Griffin. Throwing it aside Boucicault evolved
The Colleen Bawn.' These incidents NAV
but these results viii be seen to have a signal
Importance. The least important was the
revolution effected BY this play in what may
De termed the Irish orama and the represen-
tation of Irish char lcter But the adven-
lures of the Colleen Bawn in England will
DO seen TO have contributed mainly to a fun
iamental change in theatrical affairs
throughout the world In September, 1860
1t was produced in London at the Adelphi
theatre, and its success enabled Mr. Bouci.
cault to carry out the plans he had vainly
endeavored to put INTO operation in 1852 He
refused To allow tbs Colleen Bawn TO be
played on royalty or fees. He engaged four
comedians, Mr. John Drew, Mr. Sloane, Mrs
Sloane and Mrs. Hudson Kirby, and instruct
ed them In the principal characters He Of
Tered the play as the star, supported 10y this
group of American comedians He expe-
rlenced much resistance on the part of man
ayers In the provincial theatres but at last
his terms were accepted, the play became the
thing and the author received half the gross
receipts. a second and third company
were organized and ssnt out
I'm the following year he sent out The
Streets of London and in 1865 he sent out
three companies with 'Arrah- ma Pogue'
The leading dramatic authors, perceivine
the very large profits accruing from this new
method, began to sec,d de from the Dramatic
Authors society, ard to follow the new
method, under which the name of the author
OF the play was starred and his Importance
recognized The provincial theatres became
50 overrun with these new companies that
managers proposed % 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 he French dramatists
and composers held IN Paris in 1866. Mr.
Boucicault described this new method of
harvesting the prov ncial theatres. The
shrewd and practical Frenchmen adopted
1872 that the United 3tates finally gave up
stock companies and adopted the new sys-
tenn"