The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-04-17
Stage IConoClaSm.
A Poets Movement to Abol-
ish Stage Settings-Why
1t Can Never Succeed.
Modern PlaUS Are Best.


Not long ago he conceived an idea-a
dramatic idea-which may have come tc
him and to others simultaneously that
play could be written which could
hold the tense attention OF the average
heatergoer-whoever that may be-and
which should yet deal with only two
persons and passion.
Interesting as the idea was, il was
still more worth while to hear Mr..
Sothern dilate upon it, You see, he
said. the only question for the average
theatergoer is this:
viii he get herr
In the first act Of my play the audi
ence shall discover that he wants her.
In the second he shall meet with an
unexpected difficulty. And in the last
he shall finally-I won't say he is to
win her; for that would spoil my play
but he will bring the matter to an
issue"
In some such spirit as this. a purpose
TO center the interest of~the playgoer
on an event and not on a scene. the
mystic w. 3. Yeats lately made a tour
of our American universities and deliv-
cred a series of lectures. He has now
returned TO England. According to the
Pail Mall Gazette" he occasioned a
great furore while in the American
midst.
Americans Are Not Philistines.
His reception apparently made him
enthusiastic in our behalf, as witnesses
the following.
4 was simply astonished with the re-
ception given 70 my opinions" replied
Mr.. Yeats Il practically did not meet
Fhilistine anywhere, for, with one OF
two exceptions. the existing stage has
no friends among the educated classes
OF America. No one rose TO protest, al
Though l invited discussion on the ques-
tio1 put forward. l heard everywhere
complaints of the modern theater.
suppose the immense success of Every
man and Bernard Shaw's Candida ara
signs OF the dissatisfaction.
Also l found that experiments were
being made in the higher form Of
orama. The University of California.
for instance, has built a most lovely
Greek theater, entirely OF white marble
where they give open-air performances
Ii holds some 10000 people. and they
have crowded it again and again. They
5sIform there The Birds OF Aris-
tOphanes. and / believe Rem Greet has
giver one or two Shakespearean plays
IA it.
Il looked at that theateT with long
ing and almost wished / could move
over all my young men from Dublin 10
play amidst the palm and pepper trees.
under that perpetually blue sky, in a
land where. like the country of the
HyIerboreans, there is neither hail nor
snow.
No Issue With Poet.
The Times has no desire to take issue
with any poet. On the contrary, itsgcon-
science moves 1t TO indorse any serious
campaign for the study Of archaeology.
In its Judgment 'Everyman" justified
itself on that ground before a word was
spoken or character. disclosed. We
study history too dryly. Especially is
this true In the light OF the stage: be-
cause even the most superficial knowl-
edge of the period In which dramatic
events occur multiplies the enjoyment
OF the man who beholds those events.
The more enterprises like "Everyman, %
the more Greek plays. the more his
tOrical research. the more we utilita-
rians Of the twentieth century grow 10
realize that great historical personages
were after all only flesh ard blood-the
more we shall widen the scope OF the
drama.
But the poet. we think, goes too far.
Because we read Caesars Commentaries
We are not bound to wear tunics. The
, Daughters Of the Revolution. with all
their patriotism. ride TO Washington in
trains, not in stage-coaches. II Is all
very well to study the life Of earlier
days, but we are not bound to live it,
unless we find II better than our own
and even then we shall discover that the
world viii roll serenely along in supreme
disregard OF our discovery.
Now the right kind Of a play is near
y independent of its setting It would
make precious little difference, for ex-
ample, whether we acted Faust as a
German play. or an ancient Greek play.
or a play of our American Indians We
should never lose the thread Of lis
events, no matter how IL was staged.
Neither does a play depend on numbers
'EveTyman" is vastly more impressive
thar Henry v" in spite OF the fact
that Henry W. makes use Of over 4OO
suI ernumeraries. and ''Eyeryman" has
but seventeen characters all told.
A Question of Illusions.
The object Of all acting is the crea-
ton OF illusions The audience must
1--we for three hours the lives Of the
Characters IN the cast. Whatever inter
4ElES VIII lilb 2l4lElDu Is PAD 30 the
manager OF every play must hold him
self ready to use every resource at his
command which will create an illusion.
Those plays are best which teach the
beauty of the life we ourselves lead
Consequently the best plays must be
acted amid surroundings with which
we are all familiar. To that end there
should be just enough stage setting u
create a background OF modern environ
ment for modern characters. Manifest
~ that can never be done by means O.
Greek theaters or empty stages
Some there are who do not agree with
The Times as 70 these best plays In
their judgment any play by an author
now ranked with the classics is better
than any other play. Such people are
wrong, OF course; but there Is not room
TO argue that here. II still remains true
that Shakespeare never appears 10 such
advantage as when mounted as Miss
Allen mounted Twelfth Night for
Washington early In the season. As
for the lesser lights-Aristophanes and
the others-everything they ever wrote
Is improved by stage settings appropri-
ate 10 the scenes Of their plays.
These columns described not long ago
a japanese play which consisted almost
entirely OF stage settings and magma
fIon Vet an American uvho sam a. 10