Morning journal and courier., 1890-02-10

have seen some very bad plays produced at
them, but have also seen some very good
ones. They afford an excellent means of
making the work of young author known.
Imay as well confess that I am not per-
sonalIy good judge of play, or of part.
pidity, by reason of which lost my hus-
band and his partner a very large sum OF
money, I had sent to me some long time
ago play; thought the idea was splendid,
but didn't like the way in which 1t was
worked out. One scene found, may say,
absurd, namely, that a man should sit down
and forge his wife's name in her check book
before her. thought this was such q blem-
ish in the play, and SO ludicrous, and such q
bad starting point, that, though the rest OF
the play was very clever, and the audience
might forget that failing in it, still 1t would
make bad beginning, and would more OF
less ruin the rest of the play. I returned 1t
to it's author and told him SO. That play
was produced at q matinee. 1t was an enor-
NOUS success. and was eventually put into
an evening bill and made thousands. Let
me here biushingly, and with the deepest
contrition, say that that play was called
"Jim the Penman. u 7raga5l%hs 80.
AS rule Mr.. Kendall reads most of the
plays sent to us. He is an excellent judge,
and possesses the faculty of knowing exactl
ly when there is money in play. BE Il
very difficult to please and very seldom
wrong, his judgment is SO cool. As have
freely confessed my own fatal blunder,
may excuse myself by saying that I do moi
believe am the only person who has erred
in such matters of judgment.
I am sometimes asked whether We have
ever made a success with play that has
been refused elsewhere. could not be posi-.
tive on the point, but think it is more than
ofn1 Ia hot r
finally submitted to the public is only one
half what the author originally wrote. A
striking instance of this is Mr.. Smiths CO.
medietta of s'Uncle's WILL" We practically
took only half the piece, but think we
picked out all the plums. Nearly the same
thing happened with regard 70 'tLittle Lord
Fauntleroy." When the play was produced
about rather severely" I ventured to re.
mark that had cut any flowers out of the
play would humbly beg her pardon, but
that thought had only knitted my cloth 6
bit finer, and by that means brought ont itt
brighter gloss. That is, of course, only what
habit gives yo9 the power of doing-that
and the instructive feeling of what will bt
more or less dramatic.
1t is no easy task to ''cut" well, as we cal
it-that is to be able to make judicroui
omissions; to leave all the beauty and only
WA0o
from the chaff; or, taking another metaphor
to gather the stitches together, as we do ths
crewel work.
Sometimes authors will leave plays will
us for three or four weeks, or for as mani
months, and then, after little while, thel
write and ask us whether we have read it
and what our opinion is. We often write {
very detailed opinion, which sometimes il
shown to other managers and used as lever
The number of plays we manage to read in {
given time of course depends on whether VIZ
are busy at rehearsal or have other things tt
do. As rule my husband and I, ever,
night of our lives, read something or other
or go through a book that perhaps viii
make into play. When manuscripts hal
been accepted it is in due course put into re
hearsal. AS a rule the authors are presen
at the rehearsals and are very nervous, whicl
has rather paralyzing effect on the actors
Authors differ good deal in the way the.
regard the interpreters of their work.
often happens that one finds ones part to,
long and then one ''cuts" it oneself; or it
too short, and then one asks the author t,
swrite in" a speech, or to elaborate a scene
and generally such requests are granted
readily enough. Some authors, however
boast Of writing plays which they ar
pleased to term factor tight" meaning tha
the play is Independent of the artists VIII
interpret H. DuJ LnlQk tQAG CQ16 way D
looking at things is dying out, and tina
most authors will acknowledge that they ow
something, ct any rate, little something, t.
the actors.
The public are always curious about mon
ey matters, and EN- often asked whethe
playwriters make large fortunes. Good gra
oious mel I should think they did. It i
dif6cult to be precise without mentioning
names, which of course would never do; 80
will tell, speaking generally, how money Il
made.
Authors charge different sums of money
for their works. 1t they are original work.
they will sometimes sell them for much dow,
and then 30 much night; but I think au
thors holding high positions will take some
Thing like ten per cent, sometimes more, o,
the gross receipts.
A young fellow who gets his first piec
acted would probably get only thirty pound
or fifty pounds down, and there the manage
who risks taking an unknown author gain
the advantage. But directly man has go
his place, he charges, Of course, what b.
considers he has a right to charge. There i
no doubt you caunot open theater now I'M
less you have good play. Naturally thes'
men, who know they draw this money, ex'
pect part of the profits. I believe m.
brother had one pound a night for "Socie-
ty," but I know no man who now occupies
anything like the place my brother occupied
who would allow his ylay to be played TO
that snm. It might be so with comedietta
but with nothing else.