The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-02

our cast. but the work will all be care
full. conscientious and good: and ! think
| may say that the relief from the pressure
CT commerc iaiIm W i'll enable us to get the
artists point Of view untinctured by that
Of Tho manager.
:" alter. when we have shown some good
w Irk, | think we may expect the same result
as in Berlin. The greatest actors in Ger
many have appeared repeatedly on the
stage of the Frcie Nolksbuehne.
NO great actor ever lived who did not
Oh irish in his heart an ,nsatisfed longing
to appear in some Part which his manager
docs not think 1t wise to produce, which
even he, PERHAPS, if he becomes an actor
pc to give such people their opportunity.
Cur move nent has aroused much III
terest in Paris, where similar one s in
progress. Nine. lola Dorian has written
for infor "ali IN, and is 80 deeply interested
that she links of coming over this winter
to see how we do things. She is Russian
Princes. the widow of a French Senator
she L. ri h woman who spends all her
o7cv in bringing out reform and pro-
gre 'sye plays, She has bean behind every
production OF that Kind in Paris for years
past Many Of her own plays have been
published, and for cur second performance,
already under rehearsal, we shall produce
one of her PLAYS 1t is an anti-miltary
play: called Miner and Soldier. She is
particularly interested in the anti-military
move nent and much OF her era matte
effort has been along that line
AS to our business methods, We shall
follow exactly those of the Free Peoples
Theltre. viii Ia have been worked out
through much hardship and pere 'uton in
Germany. We shall give our performance
Sunday afternoons, because that is the
leisure time of busy people.
The performance will not be open to the
public. No one can buy ticket at the
"All members must first pay their mi
tiation fee. They then get a season ticket
for six monthly performances As they
pay for ca III performance this is checked,
and the chelked ticket enables them to
enter. If they wish to pay for the six per-
for lance' in advance, 49, the ticket is
che 'lted for the season.
In Berlin, the Government antipathv
went so far that every me nber had TO have
his photograph on his card to show the
police that he was a member, and that the
soriety was not selling tickets to the public
ociolosicaI Probe MS ~ But Biu' Of course
we don't expect anything OF that kind
here. Our arrangement is simply to avoid
illegality in Sunday productions.
As to seats, there will be absolutely
no choice. and no first come first served
The seat checks will be in envelopes in
baskets and each will draw at hazard
will be so cents But seats will be punched,
two, three or more in an envelope to en-
able parties to sit together il they wish
Members cannot bring in members.
Members will have, in addition to the
play, the advantage Of two other meetings
each month, perhaps on a Sunday after
noon; perhaps some evening. One will be
a week before the play, one a week after.
AT the former the nature Of the play
will be explained. something Of the. life
and aims Of the author given, and perhaps
scenes from other plays of his read or
acted. At the meeting following the play
the play will be open to free discussion
from every point Of view-dramatic, ar
tistic, sociological.
"As to the elements from which this
movement has so far drawn its support, they
from the artistic standpoint, those who
want to see the new and progressive
plays acted; second, reformcrs and ad-
vanced thinkers along all sorts Of lines,
who want TO see plays which present the
problems OF the day: third, people who
want to see plays which appeal to the
Intelligence, &C. prices which they can
afford 10 pay.
1.-THE price has lot to do with it. There
people in New York who can never afford
a good seat in q first class theatre. By
our scheme they will get a good seat for
their 80 cents at least part of the time.
"The Berlin society has now after ten
years Of existence, $4,000 members and
produces its plays in four different theatres
simultaneously every Sunday afternoon
for six months in the year. Tho moving
spirit in this movement has been Julius
the Freie Volk sbuehne, and personally
familiar with the educational effect that
movement has had on its own members,
and eventually on the general public"