Telegram-herald., 1889-04-17

productions knows as spectacular bar
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s4gs boF2s la 2i2t t1s izportzEes 81
o. saborci2aIinx ths spect4cz zlAr slsEEsks -
tks text
Yes. I believe a ths Americas cxsnAt
tst, skd I hope % saos nexE sszssa hsw
ara4y rooted . 1y fsilk ~ proc ue.ns
aes pay by NJ Y0unx. sEEitlsd Cane
lon and shaA spare 10 sxpsDss 70 give II
. Suitable setting for / believe tAls 70 &c
tAs trusst Dssus <eri4l pollcy. - far
have spoken alig q hose drainAtists With
vbom I have been more Immediately
brouxht info cc. act. bus oy no TneaAs
visA - imply t-sl these comprise tue rQ.l
Of American play SFighTs. DO not for IN
stancs envy the u.Au who could attend =
perf0rmAnee ~ enc Of Mr Bronson How
ard charniu- comedies without osing
forced % admit that some good thing
eoalt come out - our Cis Atlantic <skAr-
eth Nor ars others wanting. though Il
w0ult DC inFic ious 20 name some ard not
al y 10 have done worthy aud enduring
work. That more has not been done / am
inclined ID attribute first 10 tic timidity
OF some Of cur American managers, and
see onciY TO tie influence Of that worn cut
tradition which a generation ago led "a TO
look O1 ourselves as too young" q nation
20 have any Art schools Of cur own. It j.
OF course infinitely safer for theatrical
manager whO mlstrusts his own Judgment
VINO will not back IL, - II may be per
mitted a sporting phrase, t0 purchase the
American right TO a play which has been a
success in London, rather than 10 adyen-
ture the production OF one " hich he knows
only as a nanuse ript. So the publisher
will rather steal al English novel than
take the chance necessitated by the pub
llshIns OF al original WORK by native
author. only that there Is a wide difference
between the eases The publisher gets his
English story for nOthing, the manager
pays for his second hand Eaglish play
probably more than he would have 20 pay
the hoine producer for Que equally as good
That change il In progress, however. il
needs no exceptionally clear sight 10 per
ceive, aud the leading managers are o day
turning their attention more and more
towards the wealth that lies around them
instead OF expending much useless labor
IN importing Goals TO an intellectual New
castle. Especially is this the case with tho
play OF modern manners which forms so
large a part OF the drama as actually
presented. just as American readers want
their novels TO reflect the spirit and tone
OF the society in which they themselves
live, SO do American audiences wish 10 see
on the stage either the surroundings TO
which they are accustomed, or If they
must be taken far aheld they wish the
point OF view 10 be American rather than
English or French.
word may be said 10 those, and
imagine they are many. who feel within
themselves the possibilities OF becoming
recruits 10 the ever increasing army OF
American playwrights. The saying that
every man thinks he can run "A news
paper or a theatre until be tries has be-
come almost proverbisl and TO the list of
things that everyone thinks IL is easy to
do may fairly be added the writing of "A
play. Andyet il We may judge from the
number OF good plays produced there can
be few things which are harder 10 do well.
Every season | read number of plays
wsich are corteously submitted TO me by
their authors. and every season am filled
with fresh amazement at the curious ina
bihty 70 comprehend the requirements of
the art they profess to follow which is ex-
hibted by majority OF these well mean
ing people. They never seem 10 have
studied the technicalities of the stage or
the peculiarities Of the actors art. Thus
one finds speeches Of an inOrdinatc length.
scenes directly following each other which
the cleverest OF stage carpenters would
find IL impossible 10 set in the limits OF
time allowed TO them, pages OF dialogue
which, though clever perhaps, in itself is
utterly without dramatic significance.
Sometimes the author attempts to tell n
story which could not be clearly under
stood by an audience unless the play were
protracted TO undue limits. Sometimes on
the other hand the plot Is so slight that IL
would seem hardly worth while to devote
more than ten minutes TO its enfoldiBg
Not only would l Impress on the would
be playwright however the Importance of
studying the mechanism of the stage, of
familiariziug himself with the methods of
the scene psi-ters and stage carpenters,
but would also urge him 10 study tho
habits and Seculiarities of the average au-
dience. = play may be excellently writ
ten in itself. bright as to dialogue and in
geniOus as to construction. and yet the ex-
perienced manager on reading IL says at
once 10 himself, this would never appear
strongly TO an audience. II may be too
gloomy 1T may be too wildly farcical, itmsy
be too Conventional or on the other hand
IL may be too startling in its originality
and defiance Of theaccepted canons OF dra-
matte writing. The dramatist has by no
means the scope Of the novelist. The latter
In the first place IL he will. appeals only TO
some one pa,ticular section OF the public,
nnd remains content with n small audience
who understand and enjoy his work The
dramatist has TO keep before him as he
writes "the average man" lie must not
write over the heads of his hearers, neither
must he hold them in too little respect and
descend below tue level Of their intelli-
zsnce. Thus I haze highly pointed out
some of the lions IN the path Of the bud
ding writers OF plays, but should he meet
them boldly and su bdue them ne will at
tain reward both pecuniary and artistic
which Is vouchssted 10 but few Of his
brothers IN literature
LAWRENCE BARRETT.