The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-11-10

Another thing. Plays that are sent in to
theatrical managers are all read, They
are often read by two or three people read
carefully painstakingly. indqlgently.
been produced during the last twenty years
have been sent in that way without the
producers knowing at frat anything About
what the writer's Of the plays were like.
The trouble il that the great mass, The
overwhelming mass. OF this material that
IA being submitted TO us and that We are
reading all the time is simply of no value
al all. II is mostly work done by people
who don't know how. The people who
have In them to learn how, who with a
course OF instruction in dramatic writing
could pick up the ~know-these people are
scared away from attempting the work
by ME yarns that are constantly printed
about the difficulty of getting a hearing
for plays by unknown writer's.
The people who haven't got Il in them
aren't scared by anything, and 40 they
try u on and 80 they turn in their inn
possible stun.
Another thing that is grossly exag-
gerated IL the so-called immense difficulty
OF writing acceptable plays. Now, he
men who are writing the most successful
plays in this country to-day are not such
remarkable geniuses not by a jugKul-
when you come TO know them. They're
mostly men who have merely applied them
selves. just that, and that's al. Several
OF them haven't even any special felicity
in their Use of words and they have TO 20
elsewhere to have their phrases rOunded
on when they get their dramatic ideas
framed up.
ITO write a play one must of course
know the mechanical details Of the stage.
But there ia nothing so colossally difficult
about the mechanical details OF the stage
when all is said and done. Anybody who
really applies himself can master that end
OF IL. Then, given a sense Of construction,
a moderate gift OF narrative, proficiency
IN the Use OF the English language. a bit Of
eIoQuence some humor and, more than
all, trained sentiment, and anybody can
write a play that has a rafting good chance
OF being accepted and produced.
in THF SUN. by the way, a little while
ago l saw a talk with a playwright in
which he said that most OF the plays are
WriAen for women ~playgoers. Well. that's
not quite so true as 10 was n little whileA
back. Until a very few years ago most Of
the plays were written to meet the emo
tionaI eHactions OF women audiences. The
plays were made pretty sugary for that
reason, and also; let me whisper, pretty
~hubdubbish and highfalutin and sylabub-
bish in sentiment. That was all very we'll
in its way. seeing hat women are really
the greatest theatregoers. But It began
TO be observed that men were staying away
from plays that women liked the most.
Then something had TO be done 10 re-
capture the male theatregoer.
And so the playwright had TO hit upon
a happy medium between a distinctively
womsns play and an exclusively woman's
play. That result is being better accom-
plished all the time. with the few pieces
that are forthcoming. To make myself
more clear. you will not find one mar out
of twenty these days who will willingly
sit through Camille no matter who the
people are who play IL. Yet the women
still rave over Camille
We'll, I've got to scratch a forfeit check
now. The check will be for $500. It'll be
the eighth $500 forfeit check I've scrawled
since last January-thatIl tell you whether
managers are eager 10 get hold OF plays or
not. These forfeit checks represent forfeit
money for plays that I've sort, Of half ac-
cepted, contracting to forfeit a certain
sum OF money to each playwright IL the
plays we're not produced; None OF the plays
OF any kind OF material vas so great that
/ chung to them on The bare chance that
,xamsthipg .lmigh4 ka done lxith. 49,.