Los Angeles herald., 1905-08-17
GIVES PLANS FOR
NATIONAL THEATER
R0SENFELD WOULD DEVELOP
NEW STARS
NOW SPECULATE IN TALENT
Famous Playwright Hopes to Estsb-
llsh Houce In New York City
Where Box Office VIII Not
BE Sole Consideration
NOW SPECULATE IN TALENT

Sydney Rosenfeld, the famous play
wright whose dream of a national
thester may "resusctate art on the
American stage from the death to
which the box Office has consigned It,"
is in Los Angeles with the Ezra Ken
dali company, supervising the rehear
sails for the appearance of Mr.. Kendall
in the transformer" the initial per-
formance of which will be given in
Portland two weeks hence.
Il am giving much thought but little
active work at the present time to my
plan of national theater," said Mr..
Rosenfeld yesterday THE coming pro-
duction of my latest play, THE Barn
stormer, is consuming all my energy
Perhaps II will prove to be my best
work, the leading part being we'll
adapted to the powers of Mr.. Kendall,
whom 1 regard as the best living em-
bodiment of the Jeffersonian school of
acting.
I'm a discussion Of my ideas of a
national theater do not let me be un
derstood as either seeking the estab-
lishment of a government theater OF
carrying out a plan of art for arts
sake The one would be as fallacious
as the other.
my whole idea is that of raising
enough capital say s2,OOO.0 900, to build
a theater in New York, one which
would be absolutely free from the wor-
riment of the box office, and there
producing with a stock company, the
membership of which would be the
pick of the profession, such plays as
our own playwrights are capable of
producing.
To Develop Stars
In connection with this 1 would see
a method by which students of the
highest mentality could be prepared to
take the places of the stars now in
their zenith. The same plan to be
true in relation to playwrights.
I'm both cases at the present time 1t
is entirely a case of hit or miss. Act
ing is now dependent upon personal ap-
pearance and opportunity. A manager
seeks a man six feet in height for
certain character. If he is able to get
the six feet he looks no farther.
"On the other hand a play meets with
success across the water and forth
with every American manager falls
over himself in an effort to make ar.
rangements by which he may repro
duce it in this country.
"A national theater such as | con-
template must be financed by wealthy
persons without the hope of immediate
returns which today is the key note of
every production.
Managers Now Spectators
Il would see a theater which would
run play for four or five weeks those
by new authors to be relieved occasion.
ally by those of the old playwrights, d
theater which would mean the conser.
vation of the best traditions of the
stage lending encoura cement to both
actor and author. Today the manager
is merely a speculator in the talents Of
both.
Overcome with the enthusiasm Of
the plan I made an attempt at its
perfection two years ago with the
Century players in Shakespearian
production. The season was one of the
greatest hardships which the American
stage has known and my efforts were
not crowned with success. 1t is the
failures which often bring the highest
achievement, however, and 1 am far
from discouraged The national thea
ter is a thing of the not far distant
future"
Mr.. Rosenfeld is the author of 1.-THE
Senator" "A Possible Case" MY Club
Friend" 1.-THE White Horse Tavern"
and a number of librettos.