Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-15

10 Turn from their gorgeous pictures 10 4
contemplation Of Shakespeare with printed
signs hung NJ 70 designate whether IL we're
q street IN Puduh or the tomb q the CAP
ulets in which the action o. The sceDs or
CURED M Shorts experiment has nor
been without value; D. has confirmed the
claim Of the managers. that scenery has a.
much 10 90 with the success Of q play n
ANYTHING s-ss. One doesn't IKE 70 come
down from the attitude o. worship Que .
great star and confess that with all his
talent Bnd ability be must yet depend on
the scene painter and the property man,
bun this is true. il is merely q phase Of
the evolution Of the thsbter. Prom no
scenery a. all we have finally reached the
point where in the best Of plays the
scenery ia o. value TO the star even as are
the other accessories Of costume and
makeup thai enable not only TO assume
the role but 10 actually present It In not
a few plays the scenery is more than any
thing else. and these are not all tank
plays. either. Mr.. Shois has Bdded TO the
cumulative evidence that New Workers are
willing TO take their ART diluted. and has
apparently satisfied himself Of the value
Of scenery in 3 thsater.
Another thing that escapes the attention
Of the modern plhy-goer lie the element
Of stage management. out in front the
patron OF the drama Bees only the result,
be knows nothing Of the method. and too
often he gives no thought TO how the pleas
ing results are obtained. He may notice
On the hill that M. so-Hn6-so is stage
director. but be doesn't worry himself
about that Al 3 matter Of fact, the value
Of the modern play depends TO an unsus-
pecteo extent on the stage director. Par
ticulRrly lie this true Of the picture"
pieces that are so popular. II may not be
that the stage director has devised any Of
these, but 10 him is given their execution.
and on him depends their SUCCESS or fail
ure. His dutieS comprise an tnfnitude Of
detail; be iB not only required to have a
highly developed sense Of the artistic, hut
ne must also have q fun and complete
grasp OF the merely mechanical. and the
inhniteBtmAl and fnnumsrRble thing that
enter into the construction Of the various
pictures he Is called on TO present His
assistants are numerous. 10 be sure, but
each has only his OF her particular de-
pBrtmsut 10 look after. while the stage di-
rector must look after all. With the de-
velupment Of this feature Of the drama 70
the point It has now reached, where the
ambitious manager viii undertake 10 repro
I uuIt vi aNE bAhEt my lA4AHa III AAhAANA
what. the stage director has also developed
until he has come TO be 3 really high grade
specialist II is his busy brain that works
out the details Of all the artistic ooncsp-
tions Of Buthor and manager and makes
them prssentRbls for the public, and Il is
his ~tireless energy that keeps them going
night after night. without q hitch. He has
TO see 10 Il that not only the star, but
every other member Of mis- company is IN
readiness At the beginning. not Only Of the
play. hut Of each act: that the scenery iE
properly adjusted, that everything is IN
it's proper place, that all the lights are
working right. that not n article that VIII
be needed during the act is misplaced. and
finally. in the case of the musical produc-
lions. where there are big choruses, tu
see that the men and women are al In
their right positions, not only for entrance
but IN the line, SO that they will make the
correct appearance on the stage. he must
know the score Of the music as well as tins
director. must know every cue as well al
other things that neither musical director
or prompter bother their heads about. After
keeping track Of An tnterminAbls list o
things that are to be done or not done witt
the going up or coming down Of sRch cur
tain. he In also required 10 direct and no
tnfrequently invent or Improve on methods
for the presentation Of songs. choruses and
Incidental scenes. Even where this latte
accomplishment iE not expected Of him, h,
Is far from being idle during the pressntA.
ton Of the play with which he happens Il
be connected.