The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1906-12-30

be incapacitated by personal feelings as
well as by temperamental whims and
original poorness Of judgment. OF course
if there is no feasible method of decid-
ing who the bad actors are. it viii be
impossible to eliminate them. The public
must get along as best it may. taking the
bad with the good. One thing is Ger
tain. the bad actors of to-day are vastly
more endurable than the bad actors of
the good old school who insisted on
numbering Shakespeare and the other
great dramatists in the most solemnly,
stiltedly, and tremendously harbarOus
manner. Most of our contemp0raneous
bad ones run 10 frivolty, and are never
oppressive, even il they are aggravating.
1t will be news to many people who
don't keep close track Of theatrical af-
fairs, that Chicago has had an endowed
theater since October last 1t will con-
tinue to enjoy the distinction for at least
three years, the endowment being as
sured for that period, it is said. Al
though the experiment has been a tar
get for frequent jibes. and all sorts Of
false rumors have been circulated about
its management, it has been conducted
so far to the apparent satisfaction OF its
| subscribers or endowers. of whom
there are upward of a thousand. Its
director is Mr.. Victor Mapes. The house
is called the New Theater, and its back
ers hope 10 make il the center of "a dra-
matte renaissance in the West Each
play put on is given run of two weeks
without regard to box office receipts
Only plays of real worth dramatically
and having high literary qualities are
presented. OF the FIVE plays so far pro-
duCed, the most successful. from the
boN-office standpoint, was a mel0drama.
then farce comedy. 50 far as 1 have
been able to Judge says Director
Mapes, in speaking Of this aspect Of the
experiment, their relative merits in the
eyes Of the subscribers were exactly the
reverse of the box-ofice verdict through
out the list. The judgment of the critics
was so greatly mixed, on the whole. as
/ to make any deduction impossible" This
| Chicago experiment for the betterment
| of the stage seems so sensible and prac-
teal that il may be hoped real good viii
come of it. 1t Chicago does not develop
/ into respectable theatrical center, il
/ VIII be entirely its own fault II viii be
/ because it lacks the art sense and en-
! terprise. The New Theater may be the
/ beginning Of the work of making Chicago
a new theatrical metropolis, a rival Of
/ New York, which is plainly becoming
unable 10 meet the enormous demands of
/ the entire country for nigh-class per-
! form8nces. We should have a new the
! atrical base in the United States We
are bound 10 have it sooner or later. II
/ would be a good thing for our amuse-
ment world in a business and probably in
| an artistic way. 1t would decentraIize
1 the great theatrical industry TO begin
with, a most desirable economic achieve
ment, and it would bring into action on
/ the art side new forces that might be
! expected to produce salutary and agree
/ able results in the way Of diversifcation
/ Of the tone and character of our stage
/ productions of all classes. There is very
/ little doubt most Of the troubles from
which theatrical people have suffered of
! late have been due to the narrow cen
/ traliZatiOn Of the sources Of production.
! There are not enough independent minds
/ busy scheming and planning for the
| stage, guided by their own intelligence.
| experience. and taste in selecting and
/ producing plays. MAURICE SPLAIN.