Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-22
SOME STAGE MATTERS
Prominent Producer Talks of
Things Theatrical.
REVIVAL Of SHAKESPEARE
Younger Generation Wants to See the
Classic Drama.
GOOD PLAYS HARD TO FIND
frances Material Impossible and Out
- put in England and America
Very Meager.
REVIVAL Of SHAKESPEARE
GOOD PLAYS HARD TO FIND

theatrical impressaro who does not adj
| dress his discursixeness to his own goods,
| and who is able to descant illuminatingly
| upon the present condition Of the stage as
a whole. with no reference whatever to
| anything he himself has in stock, ought to
be worth quoting bit just now when the
| theatrical season is opening. I met such
| a man on a train the other day-Charles
| Dillingham;. proprietor Of many compa-
MES, exploiter Of many new theatrical
| things Mr.. Dillingham's observations had
value other than that he did not touch
upon any venture which he himself has
in hand.
Il hope and believe perceive the begin
ming Of a genuine Shakespearean revival"
said Mr.. Dillingham;. I'm many OF the
| major cities Of the country, last season
and now at the beginning Of this. popular
price REVEALS of the drama of Shakespeare
by stock companies were and are conspic-
ertoire actors and actresses are going to
devote themselves solely to Shakespeare
productions this season, and many others
Of equal rank not now generally suspected
Of any such intention have the idea Of fit
ting themselves at once for the classic
drama The theater-gOers are ready for
the revival. The signs point to it. This
country particularly has become weary OF
The difficulty of getting even moderately
good plays, playable plays. even OF the kind
| to which 1 advert as sloppy. increases
| constantly. 1t is becoming virtually i'm
possible to get hold Of plays Of any sort
| that possess even the elements of worth. :.
"A generation has grown up and merged
itself with the paying theater-going class
| that is curious about Shakespeare. They
only know the classic drama by tradition.
They resent the fact that their elders, so
| to speak, have 1t on them, in that the
<t,a oil CCin dyoY q
| thoroughly and supported scores OF It's
greatest opponents. The rising generation
| Of theater-goer when somewhat patron,
| izingly informed by their elders that all
| Of the stage productions OF today are as
| nothing compared with the mighty per-
| formances of the day when the classic
drama was paramount on our stage. ex-
| over the fact that they have. through no
| fault Of their own, been smut OUT OF some
thing big to which they are entitled.
There are, for example. men Wen 5 un Mer
| CuIlouRh and such classic exponents OF
the drama in all Of their great parts. Such
| a man. in talking over stage matters with
advantage matma Of his younger friend: The
Younger man may have seen the pest OF
| his own period, but what has he In reout-
| tai to offer against the glowing tesunon ny
Of the man who remembers the giants OF
| the arena9 Nothing. He has: mayhap'
seen many well-produced performances.
Rut that which was really great ABOUT tne
stage died when the classic drama aieu
The Younger generation of theater-go
| has a more than dim perception or. ms
and that is why say we are rea1y, no
| for a revival Of the drama OF Snakespeare
and why the signs Oh thds Ae'
| written large.
An Entire New Beginning.
..p,,t there will have to be q wholly new
beginning. You might count on the fingers
1 "a mir
Of the great day of the classic drama who
are now alive, Even these few obscure
supporting members in the companies OF the
distinguished tragedians and tragediennes
| Of the gone time are now old men ana
! women. and could scarcely be relied upon
| to pass along to a fresh batch OF stuoents
the traditions and acting oeeals OF tue
great plays as they were performed lor
| the benefit of another generation. But the
work of building up the classic drama anew
will be undertaken and new men ana women
of genius will arise to meet the exactions
| Of increasingly critical and cultured au-
| diences. The drama Of Shakespeare has
had lapses in other times and been taken
| IN anew With every revival the PERFORM
ances are carried along on higher plane.
| predfct that before another ten years
| have passed there will be tragedians fairly
| riyaling any Of those the world has ever
| seen and performances Of the classic drama
certainly surprising In scenic splendor
l
| that drama was the chief bulwark of the
| universal stage.
returning to the enormous difficulty OF
securing plays. that is the most serious
| thing I know Of in connection with the
! stage as it exists today. 1. for one. ran
sacked Europe for several months this last
| spring and summer-needless to say, we
have virtually given the states up as neio
| wherein to pick up materal-for producable
| plays, with results that were not only dis
| couraging, but depressing. On the other
| side there is a most remarkable dearth
even Of material CAPABLE Of being adapted
| terial Is all heavy. somber. ponderous,
berry, soggy. saccharine in its sentiment
| when it is not OF the problem problemy.
far-drawn in its humor when there Is any
| humor nowhere near the standard Of the
German output Of plays of many former
| years.
1.-THE French material is simply out Of the
question on account of its plain offensive
| ness It Is becoming more and more OBJ
vious, even to. theatrical managers-note
| that suggestion of admitted stubbornness on
the part of theatrical managers-that the
| people of this country will not to use the
| common parlance, stand for unclean plays.
| Americans are a clean people from every
point of view, but they are especially and
| essentially clean mentally. I frame no in
| dictment against a nation when say, what
| is known by everybody who has Travelled,
| that the French not only tolerate unclear
plays, but demand them. The French plays
now running are SO far beyond anything
| of that sort that have even seen, and 1
have been a yearly visitor at all Of the lead
| ing theaters Of France for nearly twenty
| years, that travelling Americans who re-
| spect themselves-not the SNUG ones. dis
| tinctily understand but the self-respecting
| ones-simp1y cannot attend some of the
Paris theaters at this stage Of the journey.
England's Output Meager.
"As for the English output OF plays,
England is in about the same position IS
the United States in that respect-there
are only a few capable men over there
writing plays. and their work is all boz
spoken for the balance Of their lives and
| hey ond. So that the question Of getting
hold Of plays for tremendous theatrical
! community such as the United States
| forms in the mass Is becoming as big a
thing for us to solve as any economic
| problem submitted to the statesmen.
II said a while ago that we had all but
given up any hope of getting plays In the
United States. That may have sounded
| like q sheer. It had no such meaning be-
hind It. I simply express the fact known
| to all people interested In the producing
| Of plays. It Is not that there are not
| scores. hundreds-l will go so far as to
say thousands-of men, and women too.
in tho United States who are capable of
| tipo NIT nulv hla nlavs bt1t yood