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

school of dramatic writing, study like this
seems almost a necessity to that sound
work which will mako success probable.
Beyond this, all tho young American
d,amatists can do is to remember that he
has ten times as much labor before him as
a young European dramatist hae; and to
do it.
Now a few words as to the second and
minor difficulty" getting manuscripts
read by managers.
thoughts all idea that to get, q managers
attention requires "intiuence." Influence
would undoubtedly be a very good thing if
it influenced anybody. But the very ut
most the request of n prominent man con-
neoted with the stage, or of a critic, can
do is to induce a manager to take a manu-
script from a very large pile Of plays that
have been sent in and place it iii a some
what smaller pile, which he hopes to read.
OF coarse this is something; but it marks
the extreme limit of Influence" except in
very rare cases. I once used my own
influence with u London manager SO
directly and personally that he -ead n play
on the opposite side of the table at q dinner
party. He shook his fist at me over tho
fruit and exclaimed: "lH get even with
you some day" And his did. He was q
dear, good friend, and he's gone, lows; but
we were quits.
My OWL HuflCGs III u pIuChaGaA WdyY W q
young man wishing to attract the attention
of a manager is this: write out the story
of his play in clear, direct and simple
language with dialogue; it should not ex-
coed, say, 1000 words, and less than this 10
better. Then write to the manager, saving
he has made this brief resume OF the story;
that it is copied by Typewriter, and he
wishes to send it to him; enclosed stamp
and directed envelope. The chances are
that the manager, delighted at the idea OF
hrevity, will write him at once to send it;
and he will probably glance over 1T at the
first opportunity before reading the long
plays on his shelf. My advice further is
sumo before he writes the play at all. Ii
the story is not of interest in this shape
the play IL not worth writing, nine times
out of ten, ana he will DO saved
the trouble of writing 1t. Let no
II imagine that dialogue, however good,
story and incidents. 1t will be much
better for u young man to write out story
after story in this way, until he comes to
ono that II manager likes. than in wasting
his time in writing n full play that may be
of no intrinsic value after il Ia finished,
sven If we'll done. Furthermore, there ia
no better practice than this for the future
dramatist. So he gets in tho habit of work
ing out his stories without ornament, he
will always know whether ther are interest
ing or not in themselves; ho will know
whether it is worth his while to put them in
form for the stage. The necessity of sug-
costing this working out Of the story before
beginning to write tho play, illustrates what
/ have said about the want of II dramatic
school in this country. A Young French
man in Paris could hardly make tho mistake
of starting work without doing this. Vat /
did not learn the system until had wasted
mnny days ana months on useless material.
The folly of this was frat brought fully
homo to mo by n remark OF Dion Boucicault
about one of my own earlier plays. How
ard put on the feathers before no made his
chicken"
1t seems to ME that the best possible
practice for n manager would be to mail u
printed form TO every one sending him q
manuscript, saying that he will hold II
until he receives a brief resume of the story
and will read tho play If it then interests
him. This would relieve managers OF much
unnecessary labor in reading manuscripts;
II would be an oxcellent thing for aspilinR
dramatistsi and. above all. II would save to