The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-19
KINDOF PLAYSTHEY WANT
views OF NANAGERS AND ACTORS
. SEEKING a HIT.

AntuaeF Horm-NOm0 OF N someone's which
They suEEest TO the Play wri
~ In Flags IL Not Especially Desirable.
The plant Of the "unacted play wright con-
SANITY takes new forms. In volume and inten-
esty 1t rarely varies. Only its different mani
tostationS attract new attention from time to
time. This Is ono Of the latest:
81 often wonder whether in any other pro-
e~pnsion," said one of tho great army Of the
unaoted as he held n manuscript that had just
como back from the manager OF n Western
stock company, which is now the final resort
Of the aspiring dramatists, There is so little de-
DAnd for originality, as there is among the man
ayers. " l went to a publisher and told him
that had q novel for sale, ho would In all prob
ABILITY want to know II 1t was original, and be
moro likely to listen TO me II he heard II was.
IL i had invented an absolutely new motive fS9
q story, and worked 1t out well, that would be
q great advantage on my side, and might COM
pensate for weakness in other d directions. That
would DO tho effect with most publishers. But
with the theatrical managers the exact con-
tsary is true. They argue that for the stage
N.re Ia only a certain set OF stories to BIO used.
They may BIO slightly varied and they may be
placed In novel surroundings and in this way
receive an appearance Of novelty. But intrin-
oically they must not be changed. 1 could not
cay juet how many relations Of life there are that
{ managers consider suited to the taste of the
EaDliO. IL was uO0lnb, i Inlnks WhO
the possible relations of human characters as
the drama of the world had displayed them
into thirty.six divisions. There were no others
possible, according to a later writer who has pro-
cceded on the same idea, either then or to-day.
u these thirty six were to be found in the entire
drama, tho number limited to the American
stage To-day would certainly be much smaller.
I should say that three or four would be the out.
eide limit.
HNsATy nwnar;annA Y.tgb , ~ a =, a ROW ln q alvyo q ha.
gun in this way, after l had succeeded by persist
onoe in getting into their presence. One Of them
usually has in his mind an idea of a particular
situation which he wants in his play or thinks
that he wants in a play that Is certain to sue.
coed. That l have ever got this far in the con-
1dence:of the managers will be enough to show
you that l am not ignored entirely. / have
made some advance. The unaeknowledged
U~truggler never penstrates beyond the outside
picket. He sends In his play by mail. and if he
10 lucky he gets 1t back. Not all Of them are
lucky. So you can tell from the fact that 1
have had personal interviews with some of the
managers that l am looked upon as q possibil-
ity some day or another-if l do not persist in
trying to be original.
Every manager I have talked with always
begun by telling mo OF just the kind OF play he
y thought was needed at that time. What I
!. NGnt,' said one of them lately, is q play in which
p woman-make her the heroine, of course
loves two men without being certain which
che really prefers. Now, she ought to be just
on the point of taking the wrong one when by
chance she has proofs that he is bad. Pre-
Vious to that, let her think the other fellow was
bad. Then have her marry the right one. I've
had that idea In my head for several weeks
now. and l am sure that a play built on that
idea would be a go. II any man brings me =
piece like that, Ill open my theatre with it
next fall
THAT prospect was indeed alluring. To
have tho prompt production of q play assured
even SO vaguely Swims before the eyes Of the
aspiring dramatist like o veritable star of hope.
1t is inspiration enough to any Enacted play
wright. He is willing to set out for home at
once, sit down at his desk. and try to work
out the manag er's situation. There ID not one
chance in q hundred that he will succeed at the
task If he Is an inexperienced writer. Many
professional drAmatists have found that it IL
aeer may suggest to him than II is to write a
play without such assistance. There are very
lew occasions, moreover, when this scheme OF
the main theme for a new play Is contded to
only one .dramatlst.
and every one will, be inspired by the idea that
he personally has been asked to write tho OPEN
the little chance there is that such plays win
prove acceptable, there is always the danger
idea. or discover some other that appeals to him
more strongly and set a force OF aspiring
uT&ludtistS 10 WOTR on ludI.
Il thought of the idea suggested to me, Two
men, ono bad and one good, and the girl about
that the worthy ONE was al really Wicked. there
was nothing very startling, about that relation
but / thought Of it as the central situation.
After | left the managers office, revolving II in
my mind, | thought the idea seemed especially
fresh in my memory, and suddenly these three
figures appeared to me in a certain tablCau.
them sGu from sv the 1 view fe Of t f%Fs speeta ata @ and i / al:
most heard the applause OF the audience. The
scene which l hid just witnessed IN my minds
eye was the most applauded in. Il popular
drama that had been the success of tho season.
1t was, SO far as the main theme went, what
became clear why he had thought of this idea.
That had been successful IN the most profit,
why 1t should not be used again with success.
POSSIBLY earlier plays written about Just
successful. The manager argued that there
was some quality inherent to that situation
not In my humble opinion true, and l was in
clined to attribute the success Of the play "a
woven his story about this situation. If he
had used any other with the same, amount OF
quite as great, and II he used.some material
new TO the stage, l should have thought that
greater. But the manager had taken a totally
different view of the real elements OF the otheI
situation that appealed |. the public again,
and had done so many times before, and was
THAT experience is typical. Whatever
happens to gain real success will promptly bo
taken as the model of every manager for the
next year. Every one of them wants u play
that Is something like tho one that has just
made tho greatest sensation OF that present
season. This was plainly enough shown by the
experience of three seasons ago. The success
of 'The Prisoner of Zenda' started a procession
OF boots, sabres, cloaks, and cooked hats across
the contemporary stage which is only now dis
appearing from view. The essence of the sue
GEES of Anthony Hopes play seemed to be the
originality In The quaint combination of mod
ern life and medieval manners.
THAT was a bold experiment to make, al
though the success of It. was commensurate
There are plenty of men who write for the stagS
and have learned 10 test the chances Of success
80 accurately that they deliberately mode
their work on something that has lately mel
with favor. That experiment succeeds some
times, but the, upfortunate part of heir etortI
the wind will blow but how it already hal
, blown. they possess very fey qualifications fol
, produced, ] AM afraid, by the managers sug