The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-12-23
The DRAMA HITS CHAPPAQUA
CHILD PLAYERS COACHED NY
MRS. SELDEN BACON.

The lower Fast Side Of Manhattan Ia not
the only locality wherein may flourish a
Sohildren's heatre." Our rural districts
abound ia budding BOOTHS and ~incipient
Irvings, embryo Ellen lerrys and some
day divine Sarahs. In fact the whole
countryside is teeminE with talent-real
native born American, indigenous TO the
soil talent. Mrs. Solden Lacon says 30
and she ought to know, for she discovered
IL in the Businesses Of the hills. dug IL out.
cut and polished L. for the market and
formed n company for its exploitation.
Already a group of rustic players known
rs the ~ChappaQuh Dramatic club have
given ander Mrs. BacOn's direction In OK
hibition of Mrs. Jnrley's Waxworks that
netted SJOO. and the box Ofrce receipts
lit really was a boxstall. tor in its every
day guise the theatre is a stableJ would have
boon three times that sum had the play
house been three times rs large.
And as for the Christmas pantomime
they are TO produce OF saturday evening
newt, Mrs. Bacon declares IL to be worthy
OF the Comedie Francaise.
-Why, they enter into il with tho en-
thusiasm and Inconsistencies Of children
who are making believe just for their "
amusement" abe continued, and conse-
quently all their movements have a grace
and interpretative power that ouldn be
acquired by weeks of mere drilling. They
are a revelation to ne
Mrs. Bacon, who, as everybody knows,
used TO be Josephine Dodge Daskam, has
lived for two years in what the children Of
Chappaqua call "the big red house on the
hill" and il was, there that she told a U
reporter all about il.
1t was the Urgent need Of the Chappaqua
branch Of the North Westchester Nursing
Association that made me just think OF
organizing the dramatic club.
AS you may nave noticed. there isn't a
drug store in the place. and any one who
needs the services of a physician liz often
obliged to send at least as far IA Mount
Kisco, because our own practitioner is
liable to be away. The rOund OF the dis
hict nurse are almost "a extensive AS his.
for she has charge of her own particular
kind of work in several villages. h
we need here il a nurse all to ourselves. and
two rooms. one of which shall be a supply
ROOM, for her use.
when / was asked to help by the local
committee It occurred to me that the young
people Of the village. among whom there
was no organized social activity. might be
induced to help, too. and so I asked them.
Their response to the suggestion Of giving
some sort Of a show was so enthusiastic
that it fairly took my breath away.
sThe twenty who attended the first meet
ing at my house in June were q to put
ON a modern society drama, but | finally
persuaded them that n little more expert
ence was necessary for such an undertaking.
The compromise finally took the form of
Mrs. Jarley's Waxworks and H. was a
screaming success.
mir. Mackay donated his carriage house
for the performance and the people came
from miles and miles away to behold its
KlOries. The doors were not opened until
:, but by = O'Clock there was an array Of
vehicles in the waiting line that made a
Friends' quarterly meeting crowd look
small. More people were turned away thar
were admitted"
And ths Christmas show"
-Oh, that" exclaimed Mrs. PaCOn, -is
going to be- perfectly lovely. dUst come
here And leading the way into the hail
she knelt down before a big chest.
Look at these" she said, lifting the Id
and disclosing a bewIldeTing array OF pins,
blue, green. red, yellow and violet-"this
Is for the costumes"
"Nhy all this silk, began the reporter,
silk echoed Mrs. Bacon. 1T isn't
silk at all. It's sateen that l spent a Whole
day shopping for. You see, we are going 10
give the classic fairy ales-Clnher lla,
'Rluebeard, Beauty and the Beast aud
Red Riding Rood and all tho clothes are
10 I've made here. No, In not going to su-
ierintend the sowing. | Just choo5s rhe
coloIs and designs.
Cinderella Is to he all in pastel shades.
You lust ought to ace them do the m,nuet--
one / made up myself. We are to have the
IIozort music for il. At first they diGn't
quite understand about arching their feet
Gnd pointing their toes. But as soon az l
told them To think of the motion Of "a 50, r;ted
horse when IL was paving the ground
they caught on at once. so ali through
;he rshearsals now l shrek at Intervals:
Paw! Paw Paw and IL works beautifully.
Red Riding Hood is to he done by chit
dren, and they are dear. The star picks
imaginary flowers in the drawing room
with a realism that is positively startling.
he girl that takes the part OF the old
dame in Sleeping Beauty goes through
sir the motions OF spinning IN a most re-
~narkabie way without the sign of a wheel.
I want you to understand that they are
doing really fine pantoInime' work. quite
INDEPENDENTLY OF properties. or course,
we are making the background and the
costumes as attractive as possible.
Here Mrs. Bacon burst INTO laughter.
Il haven't shown you the tights" she
said. Then she took from the chest and
held up TO view several articles daintily
striped in pink and white. blue and white
and lavender and white.
They are lovely" hammered the re-
porter. but they look n little bit like
like
well, they are" retOrted Mrs. Bacon.
sAnd l had some trouble in p~ersuading the
boys to wear them. Bot you see tights are
~fearfully expensive, and when l confided
my troubles to some Of the department
store people they suggested these as a
Substitute. They fit beautifully. and when
the tunics and capes are all adjusted no
one would think for a minute that they
weren't the real thing.
-I'm sure they wouldn't agreed the
reporter hastily.
In the drawing room again Mrs. Baron
drew attention to a elaborate piano cover
Of silk brocade. -Thi was once a Russian
priests robe she explained, and the king
in Sleeping Beauty is to wear il as a state
robe with the gold side out. and BeGanv's
father in Beauty and the Beast' will later