The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-10
TALK THEATRE TO MANAGERS
DINNER GUESTS TELL THEM
THEY'RE DOING WELL BY Us.


Their Boxes and Let Him Have Them
The Association OF Theatre Managers oil
New York had It's first annual banquet al
the Hotel Aston last night. The partakers
we're instructed by a business talk from
Daniel Frohman, inspired by oratory from
Martin W. Littleton, president OF the BOT
ough Of Brooklyn; informed as TO puoho
desires by Frank r. Lawrence OF the Lotos
Club. edited by Brander Matthews. mace
reminiscent by Bronson Howard, guyed by
John W. Keller and, at the end. treated 10
the most interesting speech OF an-herr
Conried's.
Daniel Frohman began the talking with
something about the purposes OF the assocla-
ton. The managers OF New York. he
said. have to meet and please pubic
that is cosmopolitan in character ana
heterogeneous in taste He had good
word for the vaudeville managers VINO
make theatregoers.
There Ia no stage other than the vaude-
vile on which there can be found less OF
suggestiveness or OF anything approach
ing indeoency. The vaudeville managers
have eliminated the word damn from
their stages. reserving 1t for their private
Offices
Mr.. Frohman introduced President
Littleton as one who had been swept into
power on a tidal wave. If another sweeps
him out we will give him an engagement,
said he.
Mr.. Idttleton said that Brooklyn was
onoe an important city, but had descended
into a benumbed borough, and now bid
fair to become merely an abutment for
New York bridges. He confessed to hav-
ing the after dinner speech habit 40 strong
that at p. NJ. each day he backed up to
his evening clothes as fire horse backs
into harness at the sound OF the gong.
in New York" said he. you can't swap
knives without giving banquet TO cee-
brate 1t. | have just received an invita-
ton to speak at banquet OF the Team
Owners Society. and the Mosquito ExterIni
nation Society is always after me. Every
thing ia organized An idea is hardly.
born in the brain before it organizes and
Issues preferred and common stock The
promoters get the preferred and the public
gets the common
Mr. Littleton admitted that he didn't
know just what TO talk TO the managers
about.
II would at once be at ease II | were asked
to talk on how TO regulate commerce or
the tr,lsts-God forbid that I should men
shade of nnuendo. You represent That
genius which knows that a man will pay
s.. so to ace play and try to save nickel
carfare on his way home; which knows nat
man pays cash for amusements and gives
notes for necessities. As long as the peo-
pie demand certain thing. the managers
have got 10 give it to them They don't
! manufacture: they manifest. The people
| like to be amused: they like 20 feel silly.
They love to be in state OF paretic mental
dissolution. They want to giggle them
selves into a nehulous frame of mind
Frank Lawrence expressed the con-
gratuations Of the Lotos CLUB upon the
! managers associations successful year:
He referred TO the diners as "a distinguished
assemblage Of pmtocrats.
Your members ARE our tyrants. lhey
decide what we shall see and hear. We
are told that the best form Of government
Ia benevolent deepotism You are despots
and / beg OF you to be merciful. Throw
us all the light and brightness that you can.
| have heard it said that the stage has a
mission TO educate and elevate the people.
! The proposition seems monstrous tome.
we don't want to be educated; We are
educ tied too much We don't want to be
elevated: II would be disagreeable. The
people want 20 be entertained. Because
Won have discovered that secret you have
been successful We have enough Of
tragedy in our everyday lives. We go to
the theatre TO relax and be diverted, Hav
ing long since ahjured heavy tragedies
and melodramas, ! find that the modern
play, without beginning. end or plot, draI
matte unity or propriety. but full of wit and
liveliness, meets all my requirements and,
| believe those of most Of the people TO
whom you cater
Brander Matthews introduced as Pro
fessor. said that he had disliked the title
since he came upon Professor Mike. the
bootback. Yet 1t is true that am
professor. on the chill heights Of Morning
side he said He also said that he would
like TO soc theatre that held out to the
drama what the metropolitan Opera House
holds out to the musician or the Metro
politan Museum Of Art TO the painter.
He would like 10 see it. not under city con-
troll but established as a commercial enter
prise free from long runs and other tyran-
MES. where we could see the best OF Shake
speare and the old comedies-a theatre
partly supported. as the opera house is,
by n number Of public spirited men
Bronson Towards talk was mostly OF
the managers whom he knew years ago.
of the fairness with which managers treat
playwrights and the honesty with which
they treat one another. He apologized for
Temporary trash" seen in theatres, saying
1t was often necessary to keep them going.
John w Keller took whack at Mr..
! Iittleton's carefully prepared monologue,,
which he said would insure the Borough
| President job with any manager who
heard it. He told Of Charles Frohman'ss
/ DAYS as a turkey actor in the suburbs and
I g,yed Oscar Hammerstein, who had fallen
/ asleep. until Mr.. Hammerstein WOKE up
/ and hlushed.
| Then came Herr Conried. monarch OF
| the Metropolitan Opera House.
i came here twenty-six years ago, he
/ said and thought | knew great deal.
! soon found that l knew very little and
/ set out TO learn. spoke still worse English
/ than | do now. but learned something
| avarv dav by watching the managers
/ Herr Conred said that theatrical prof.
! ects abroad were petty compared TO Ameri-
/ can ways.
yet when go over there and tell them
! how things are done on this side of the
water, they say: 'Conried. don't say that
/ You lie. so we can't listen to you. When
/ told them that paid my stage hands sos
! s8a in one season. they said ] was crazy,