The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-05-06

no such signs or tokens. The scene in
every detail is vivid to him without any
aids. Others make notes on diagrams.
Still others use whatever small things
happen TO be at hand. A mold jackknife
and a pair OF scissors were the hero and
heroine OF a certain famous drama during
all the time that 1t was being written.
One expert in stagecraft, who happens to
be also a devotee of chess, works out the
action on a chessboard. II efancies that
he Is helped In that way to solve the
problems OF his plot He opposes his
forces of good and evil, plays them az ainst
each other. and wins final victories for
the right. Nonsense? Not II 1t acilitates
his work. His fancy requires Indictment.
At the other extreme may be mem
toned a man who never has to make so
much as a dot on paper to assist his men,
ory as to the action. He has his troubles
of another kind. He is compelled to guard
himself against confusion and inconsistent
cies in the various interests of the play
in hand. He makes diagrams OF them.
showing their starts and stops rises and
falls, contacts and separations. Thus he
sees their proportions. and builds them
up or pulls them down to suit their rela-
tive Importance. This diagram becomes
an elaborate chart as work progresses. II
is clear to him, II to nobody else. II
guides him in kepeing his principal char
acters dominant and his miner ones SUBJ
ordinate. BY means OF 1t he moves every
thing toward that climax which every
successful drama must reach.
What the actors do. beside speaking the
words of a play. is called the business"
The old-fashioned way was to insert that
word in the copy at points where special
action was required. The particulars were
given at the rehearsals. Nowadays the
author Is more explicit in his manuscript.
He prescribes the movements that each
character shall make. Nothing is left to
chance, nor TO the actors choice. When
nc is to sit and when to stand. where he
is to go and how long to stay, what feel
ing he is TO show when silent. what de-
gree of emotion he is to express when
speaking-all these directions are set
down.
Some authors tell. also. how the per-
sonage should look. A paragraph de-
scribes each individual much as a novel;
list does II. though very briefly and con-
cisely. This is frequently extended to the
color of a womans eyes and hair. She
must be tall or short, slim or stout, pretty
or ugly, as best serves the purpose. In
short. the writer OF stage fiction tries hard
10 have his characters look and behave
exactly as he wishes them to. His design
may be carried out. That depends. He
may be eminent and obdurate enough TO
have his own way. In that case his con-
tracts stipulate that not 30 much as a
word shall be changed without his con-
sent.
The. manner of the acting. also must be
obedient 10 his orders. He also may be
able to dictate the time when the play
shall be presented, and the theater, too
The selection OF actors may require his
approval and his authority may extend
TO rehearsals. But, as a rule. IL is not So
some times the buyer Of the manuscript
is free to do Just as he pleases with IT. He
has the right to adapt Il to any purpose
and to any extent Plays written quite
seriously have before now been turned into
hilarious farces merely by exaxgerating
them. The longest lived OF the frivolous
ly gay spectacular pieces in this country.
the very name OF which became a trade
mark for gaudy show, was originally
an ambitious composition In blank verse
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