The Washington times., 1904-04-03
TOPICS OF THE STAGE AS VIEWED IN WASF1INCTC
Stage Progress.
How Theatrical Art Has Been
Advanced in the Last Ten
Years Blu Three Material
Chances.
Changes.

Every generation lives through changes
which it only half realizes. This is par
ticulsrly true Of the theater. Great
actors appear and act their best parts.
new plays take their station in the
worlds dramatic literature. valuable i'm
provements supplant primitive schemes
Of investiturC. and all are accepted in
differently. IL would be fine thing
for the average playgoer If he could
stop short, some day. and ask himself:
How has the theater improved in the
past ten years. He would be surprised
at his conclusions.
The three most conspicuous material
advances have been made in the per-
sonnet of the acting body. the investi-
ture which surrounds that body. and the
commercial enterprise which maintains
it In one short article it is impossible
10 treat these three movements thor
oughly. or any one Of them; but II may
open the eyes of Times readers TO have
them indicated.
In the old days-a phrase intended 10
describe our stage from the day of the
first American performance TO the re-
tirement of Edwin BOoth-actors were
enlisted chiefly from the ranks OF the
atrical people" This classification in
Guided then a heterogeneous mass.
First came the actors themselves-one-
third OF them intellectual and serious,
one-thlrd of them struggling and I'M
educated. and one-t ird Of them day la
bOrers who acted Tor a living. But
actors did not represent all the the
atrical people. by any means Ihelr
number was about doubled by the stage
carpenters, electricians. costumers' ad-
vance men Cnot the Intelligent press rep
hv~ nv
wardrobe rnistresses. scene painters
scene Shutters, ushers, transfer agents
and mana gers. The occasional actor who
slipped onto the Stage from any other
walk Of life only serves TO emphasize
the general truth that until a few years
AGO the rank and file was enlisted al
most exclusively from these "theatriea.
people.
Enlisted From a New People.
such a condition produced good and
bad results, of course. and il is not
necessary here TO go into that question
1t is enough If we admit that a training
which began at the cradle led to clear
reading. certain patterned skill which
suited a given means 20 a given re-
suit. and a general Enthusiastically
which precluded much genuine service
10 theatrical art like that which the
student in painting or sculpture gives TO
graphic art
This is believed to be a fair estimate
of the stage which enlisted its votaTies
from the ranks of theatrical people
almost entirely. 1t produced Hallam.
Lester Wallack. Z. !. Davenport, VIII
son Barrett, Lawrence Barrett. Charlotte
Cushman, Joseph Jefferson. the two
Sotherns. Ada Rehan. Edwin Booth, and
Henry Irving, and so it could not be
ali bad But we must not forget that
il produced also thousands Of actors
who We're as mechanical and wooden
as the figures on a weather-vane.
Today this is much changed. No more
does the average actor toddle on the
stage in baby clothes. Today he spends
his childhood in school. more often than
otherwise he goes 10 college, and when
he does enter upon acting il is as a
legitimate profession TO which he brings
a mans mind, a students intelligence.
and the breeding OF man OF the world.
These sound, no doubt, like general
phrases; but they are more specifically
true than anyone would suspect who
IS not careful student Of the drama.
The companies which give the stage its
tone are the companies which obtain
the 81, $3.50 OF s. patronage. and in every
such company the number of young
actors who do not belong to this new
class can be counted on the fingers Of
one hand The movement is vet too
transitional to have supplanted alto
gether the actor of the old school. You
VIII find him in good companies playing
such roles as the old man, the cOnveu-
tional vicar, or the servant who an
nounces my lords carriage. Otherwise
he . relegated 10 the melodrama-or
worse
IDvestiture Has Leaped Forward.
The mounting of the plays in which
these new actors appear, is a vast prog
Tess over that OF the plays intrusted
10 lher end-ot-the-century predeces-
so-s- The number Of costumes used
has been multiplied beyond count: there
are almost as many more scenes and
drops as there are more costumes. both
costume making and scene painting
have been advanced TO the plane of
aucillary arts; electric lighting has con
tributed a whole field Of new effects.
the making OF papier-mache has made
possible the display Of numberless or
naments. built into the scenes and safe
from damage, which contribute greatly
10 the beauty and naturalness of the
picture; and the old system OF setting
All AA4-e4A't 10y means OF parallel slides
for the side walls has-heave4,. be
ralsed,-been largely superseded by the
present use Of built or solid sides.
So much is a question of widened Oh
fortunity The modern manager has
now these advantages which his pred
ecessor did not have and which many
even OF our latter-day promoters did
without when their service was young.
IL ought not be necessary 10 speak
OF the more lavish spirit which now
marks the mounting of plays. Ten
years ago $1,000 would float" almost
any kind Of a comedy. Today ten times
that sum is almost invariably spent.
10000 is an entirely usual outlay. and
$4,000 creates 40 stir at all
Figures Ike these suggest a powerful
backing. The stage has IL. There are
few business enterprises which touch
many cities and employ many men on
their own responsibility which are half
30 well organized financially. Every
day. like the mOlds OF a linotype, thou
sands Of statements showing the at
tendance at thousands Of performances
worm their way 10 the central offices
IN New York. Every day the central