The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-20

school OF dramatic writing exiats md where
ths younger writer's avail themselves, al
most ni,consciously, OF the experience, not
only Of their Seniors, but Of their predsces-
are eradicnted from their minds before
they attempt to write n play. The possibil-
ity Of aOtne errors, which would he commit
ted by highly inteilactuni mon, here, IL re-
moved from the Inindg Of ignorant gallery
boys In some parts Of Europe. This comes
generations ct theater goera, without any
other mental light In the individual.
For instance. n poor gallery boy OF Liver
pool, who conld not read, no his father be-
fore him--so poor aud ignornnt that his know
nothing OF, md cared nothing for p%eraonal
cleanlincss-once told mo that he didn't
like n play unless what occurred in one act
was properly led up TO, and caIno about
naturally Oil account OF what had occurred
in tho previous ncts. IL would be difficult
to lay down this most important principle
OF dramatic writing In more cioan and sim
ple language than the actual words of the
ignorant boy. Yet Ii IL safe 10 say that. OF q
hundred "playS" submitted to q New York
manager, this apparently Obvious principle
ID utterly ignored by tho writer's of eighty
OF them, and of these eighty wonld-bs
dramatiats not ten have ever given the
question OF what is natural and true, in
dramatic action. tho slightest attention.
This comes from want of experience at sec
ond hand, which q young author naturally
acquires III a school Of dramatic writing.
How many people who try to write plays
in this country consider the following 1ues.
tons. which every true da.natist must con
slider at every moment as his work pro-
crosses? Are my characters doing what
every man in the audience will think that
he himself. or some other man. might do in
real life under the same circu instances! No
matter how much one may allow for stage
exagReration," this question must lie at the
bottom of all true-usually of all successful
work for tho theater. This ia so import
ant that it applies even in works founded in
part upon imaginary conceits. In Bouci-
cault's "Trip Van Winkle,''fo for instance, the
meets a company Of ghosts and afterwards
sleeps twenty years. Nature? No. But every
action of rip" every thought, every word
ID exactly what 1t would be IL n human
being could 60 through such experiences.
Tho gaeat dramatist kept this princi-
pie before him oil the time, mud 1t
ia that only which enables q genius
people. The same ia true of Gilbert's work
in "Pygmalion and Galatea.s' Here are two
of the greatest dramatists Of this century
acknowledging their obligation to this prin-
ciple in every line Of two mere fairy tales;
yet three-qnarters Of our young aspirants
WHO are WTlGlIG ADOHb E6hl ltlo give " AC
thought or care whatever.
This general Leading principle is a good
foundation for every new writer to start
with. One might go on with less important
matters almost indefinitely. | often wish
that l could give young men the benefit Of
many things that have been forced on me
by hard experience, and which / would
have known instinctively if | had come up
in a dramatic school. But we must do our
best without a SCHOOL," The only substi-
tute ] can think of is a course OF thought
fnl reading. Follow through the dra-
matio portions of Hallam's History
of English Literature. ! had almost
committed this to memory before /
ever wrote q play. The German critics,
Leasing and Schlegel, are of very great
value, of course. ] think any young man
who reads these authors carefully, to say
nothing of others and of the old plays, will
go about the work of dramatic composition
with a thoughtfulness and sincerity that
would hardly be possible without such
reading. In the absence of a national