New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-13
BROUGHT OUT POOR LOT OF PLAYS.
THE RESULT OF Il PRIZE COMPETITION MLSTAKFs
MADE BY AMATEUR PLAYWRIGHTS

preceding act his feet were all right Nov 4, 49,
author wanted to have the hero get his Zee, g.
bitten. he should have done that while IN. -
man was IN the neighborhoOd OF the Nortb r,,s
This episode shows not only a lack OF com.
sense. but disregard for the simplest element. !.
dramatic sequence
."Out OF each hundred plays submitted at H..
ninety were hOpelessly bad and not even vyor,,- =
being considered.
Some OF the plays submitted showed thas s,,.,
authors knew nothing whatever Of the art OF w.t..
ing for the stage. One play written IN ts.s
pencil upon brown wrapping paper ana N. -
act represented the Interior Of a drug ssora -
only action IN this occurred when three y,,,.
came In TO buy ice cream soda hirted uith -
clerk. and then quarrelled 20 which should ~.
for the ice cream soda. did not read further :,
ascertain what the next act was about. but pa-,.t
to another manuscript.
lone play ended with all Of the characters krs..
ing In a group the stage and recitng the Iors,
Prayer.
AS general rule. the amateurs proved vs-v
fond OF introducing members OF the English no
billty IN New-York society dramas. This 3 an.
OF the mistakes made by writers who wish 10 por
tray what they think Is high social life I woutt
advise all pIaywrights who wish % portray New
York social life. to abandon the British ne5euuan
either a serious character OF a light comedian
The accepted thing. according 20 the auatsur
standpoint. Is to make Lord Lushington or IA,
Earl OF Dover fall IN love with the heroine ana
after marrying her. III treat ner much that an.
gets a divorce and marries the staIwala A-,src,.
hero. Junior partner IN her fathers Wall s,ra.S
firm. whom she has loved all the time.
IF the amateur doesn't the English nobt,
a villain Of this type. then he Is sure 70 b
used a light comedian. in love with the son
brette. and the butt OF all the jokes. This typ4 a.
Engishman introduced into an American ps-
never understands Joke.
Possibly one-third OF the plays submitted IN
the scenes laid in F1fth-ave People whose ep,l-,
lives have been spent IN small Western cities ~
70 write society dramas OF New-YorS life knowlnv
nothing whatever OF the background they trv ~
portray.
American authors are also very fond Of with,
rustic dramas OF farm life. In these. the Vvs
try girl is always about to be tempted away ron
home by the rich city chap who is spendins n.
summer at her village. The stalwart hero. a mn,
hand. intercepts them at the railway station N
the yard. and persuades the girl not TO % IN
some cases. the girl goes to the city and r. H.
lowed by the brave young hero, who breaks into
room just in time to defy the villain and save
the helpless heroine.
These plots are all very hackneyed no douh,
but they very popular with beginners. who ara
Influenced unconsciously or otherwise. BY plays
they have already seen. Having witnessed plays
with plots like these beginners try to initiate them
II they adhered closely enough % the main out
lines &C the plot. using new characters and stua-
tions. perhaps thair plays might pass muster but
besides dealing with hackneyed subjects. thea
writer's betray ther irexperfence in a thousand dr.
ferent ways Therefore. managers seldom use Their
dramas
Another mistake beginners make Is 70 have thsr
heroine either married else misIed. and TIA
mother Of a child Women writer's have weak
ness for stage children. This Is all very well for
a melodrama. but il is out OF place in theatres de-
voted to the better forms of stage entertainment
In the old dav I've fy- i'm zfqn chi
was considered quite proper and pleasing. but pus-
o6f15 ~ .,ia-o+s5 49,, - ~ ,cr-,i1r 1rfcef -
aires devoted to melOdrama. IL - singular TACT
that the people who patrOnize the best theatres
prefer unmarried heroines while the audiences in
the popular priced theatres have liking Tor hero
ines who carry child around in snowstorm and
endure the insults Of a villain for the sake Of ths
There are some writer's who try to use blank
verse In composing epic tragedies. but their pals
Several dramas in blank verse submitted II
this recent play competition
OF useless material sent In for this com2etiti@,
there was one feature which may throw some igh;;
the contest stipulated that each playwright mus.
a pIay. This feature POSSIBLY prevented a great
many playwrights from submitting manuscripts 40
sn sRsR9 & 8n 9Se other hand the
went to a great deal OF trouble I'm order 70 ~rrangs
thing 10 get a play produced az a Broadway tas-
atre In previous play contests a money Prize re Ass
had to arrange for a production himself IN win,
ner OF another contest a year St 50 az r eI
although I consented to serve as one OF ms
Judges in this contest. and have faithfully done
my best to advance the interests Of unknown PLAY
wrights, j can say without hesitation that sucn
contests are generally unsatisfactory. There as
usually about a dozen plays OF almost equal meIlL.
any one OF which deserves the prize as much as ~
other / was one OF the judges In a cOmpeuuOn I0F
0ne-act pays about ten years 20. The play We 81
lected was not a great success. Another cohtsss
about the same time. conducted by a newspaper
brought a new playwright to the 'front.' VINO suDss-
uueutIv wrote some good plays, but the prize VII
ming play was very Inferior. a Baitlnlors s.9cs
company has offered a prize for two successive
seasons to secure prize play. In each case VIC "
suit has been very Disappointing. -, -
''AH Of the PLAYS i have read have ueeu 49,.
n1itted ANONYMOUSLY and the names or me a utios
arss Totally unknown to the Judges. II We mands'
10 discover genius. shall % VIZ So.
but i can only express my hope nov tnaL Sle 800
wrights will turn out some better plays FeIJ '0