Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1903-01-13
wRIr1Nc sUccEssFuL pLAYs.
Some Of the Tricks and Methods Of
WelI-Known PIaywlights.

known of a subject OF al least equal
interest-the tricks and methods Of
playwrights
Mr.. Haddon Chambers, the author
Of many clever and charming plays,
frankly confesses that he has no
method. $50 erratic am /, he de-
clares, shat ] often begin in the mid
lie Of a play and complete, say, the
third act before l have the remotest
idea Of what to put in the first. This
was the case in The Honorable Her
bert where the third act fashioned
itself so completely in my mind that
1 was compelled to sit down and write
it before it escaped my memory, and
then turned to the first act"
Mr. Chambers has no difficulty in
finding his plots They come to him,
as he says, with almost fatal facility;
but before putting pen to paper he
allows the plot to simmer in his mind
for at least month, until play and
characters have assumed a coherent
and tangible form in his mind. Prac-
tically all his writing is done at West
gate, for he finds London far too rest
less and feverish place for quiet lit
erary work.
Mr.. Louis n. Parker equally pleads
guilty to an utter lack of method in
his work. 81 rarely put pen to pa
per-" he admits, "until managers be-
gin to worry me aboutrehearsals, and
| have only three or four days left in
which to produce fopr-act play
Then l work practically night and
day until the thing is done, with the
result that l always vow will never
write another"
As for his ideas, he says that he
"begs, borrows, or steals them" and
then endeavors to find some sort Of
character that can conceivably carry
them out. With the central idea
and characters settled, he finds no
difficulty in weaving a suitable story
around them. When collaborating
with Mr.. Carson, he says: owe are
really only together during the incu-
baton stage, and this sometimes only
lasts a morning"
Mr.. G. R. Sims has very decided
views as to how successful melo-
drama should be written, and prob
ably no one is entitled to speak with
more authority on this subject. The
chief thing, he says, is to get simple
story, free from complication, and
with plenty Of passion, pathos an6
humor in it. Having thus got The
mental skeleton, he proceeds t.
clothe the plot with dialogue and fill
in the incidents
AS all his plays are written for spe
cial casts he makes a point Of 'writ
| ing round" the individual actors whc
are to produce the play; and ever,
line is written with a mental eye OF
the stage which no playwright ismor'
familiar with.
When writing in collaboration h
and his colleague usually spend
week in cogitation at some charming
place, such as Brighton or Mont'
Carlo, returning home without sin
gle line being actually written.
Mr.. Sydney Grundy when HI
wants an idea for a new play, seek
inspiration from one of his seasoned
bulldog pipes-and never in vain
But when he has got his idea the diff
foulty of working it out proves for
midable. 81 suffer from the diseas'
of laziness," he says, ''and I simpl,
can't settle down to work until / an
compelled to. But when once | star
l go right ahead, working morning
noon and night until it is finished.
Having got a suitable idea, he frs
plans out very light scenario, ant
begins to write with.only a slight con
ception Of his characters. Gradually
however, Ahese assumeform and real
ity, and before the first act is finished
he is on perfectly good terms will
them. When once the play is unde
way his brain is saturated with it, anC
everything else is thrown aside unit
it is completed. 81 keep the stage ii
view throughout" he says, cas- if i
were a chess board, and get no men
tai rest until I have done the thing
Some of Mr.. Gilbert's best worl
has been suggested by very trivial in
cidents. The sight Of a huge Japan
csc sword inspired "The Mikado, AM
Mr.. w. H. Smiths appointment a
first lord Of the admiralty was tn