The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-27
ART FAUCET
ONE SCHOOL WHERE TECH.
NEQUE MAY BE LEARNED.

ONE SCHOOL WHERE TECH.
NI0UE MAY BE LEARNED.
ues HesA Explsins That only me PrfneA
pies Can Re zmparted; That the
Learner Must suppiy tho Imagination
and utt-Msnsgers Might Prent Too.
New York has q school for playwrghts
which never lacks pupils and some ot
whose graduates have turned out Sue
cessful dramas. William T. Price, who
conducts II. has written plays with sor.
degree Of success, although he was al.
ways attracted rather by the theoretical
| side Of the subject. He says he soon be-
came 20 much Interested in the scientific
structure Of the drama that he found
more satisfaction In that than n Its merely
constructive phases IL was,that pursuit
that served to make him an expert on
various dramas that come into dispute.
II A Is accused by b Of having stolen his
play from q. STORY By B or Q play by
that belonged to B and the case comes to
the iseal stage Mr., Price b often agreed
upon blythe parties as the expert to whosa
dccision the matter should be left So b
comes about that during ayear he decides
many cases a. this character. deriving
his suocess a course from his knowledge
OF the drama. -
sThsre h nothing new IN trying 70 teach
men and women how 10 write playa
Mr.. Price said the other dry to TEE srs
reporter. sand i am siways sstonishsd
At the doubt which greets the announce
msnt that plsywritfng has IT. principles
inst IS every other artihas.
Look ct ths antiquity. Of the theory
that tho drama - "a arr en- be taught
Aristofae wrote his book 100 years ago.
II established certain eyeEiasting prtn-
ciples. and the foundation Of the art Of
playwrihng b to DO found In his book.
Unfortnnately tharc \, only q fragment ot
bis work surviving to-day. and that con.
cerns tragedy. There vcre various works
on the subject In France before Gustav
Freyfag put forward his Technique Of
the Drama that became the authority.
There was nothing Of .fhc taxt book IN
Schlegcl's lectures. which wsre purely
philosophical and historical When
Leasing wrote his D~ramstirgischs
Blazer, he chiefly put into them ortiz
cisms Of the plays and actors at the
theatre IN Hamburg. although no estab-
iished certain principles. Froytag de-
veloped formulas. but they are all based
ON the ureek dramas and the plays Of
Shakespeare. There was no attempt maids
by any OF these writer's to do more than
discuss the outlines Of the art IN q general
way. There was somewhat minuter
terminology created by the French writ
ess. but by all the others the old Greek
terms, such as Introduction, Development,
Climax, D6nouement and Catastrophe,
have always been used. But these terms
apply only to tragedy. which shows how
necessary It Y to have " text books
Mr.. Price is oonvinped that there should
not be failure even on the part Of managers
In selecting the plays that ta.sy produce,
Judged by the rules OF the drama, they
win succeed or fall. II they correspond
e every reauireIent q q snooessfui Play
public u their subject 10 appropriate. II
the managers would carefully put new
plays to this test before they are acted
Mr.; Price believes they need never have a
failure. 4fi
TO say that q manager who has been
. tsiI Wat etA Z going soa g plea Is lbs SIS pdSlo
Is doing him q. gross Injustice. Ie maybe
that The play he Is Offering d thsebest Of
the available supply or,it may besthat he
thinks some n popularity OF the piece
y sufficient 70 compensate for its other
knowledge Of the general quality Of q
play II absurd. He need only TO apply
the principles OF the drama a. they. have
bean formulated to decide whether his
play 10 going TO meet them or not.
Various reasons In the mind Of this
dramatic expert lead managers 70 invest
plays that arc not worth the time and
money when they might readily assure
themselves whether or not their pieces
had any ohance Of success.
"A manager may have nothing else
at hand. he may. try to CONVINCE himself
in the play. or be may attempt to Be-
lieve that q weakness he fully recognizes
may be compensated for by some feature
in which he has confidence" ssys the
expert. sAn these INCIDENTAL masters
may Affect his Judgment to an extent
S Tsish n issd 6.r him to Pg Z q &c = |nsyi, ~
requirements Of Q ~suoosesful pieoe. Yet
there arc certain standards by which
he could test his play aDd know for sqre
whether or not It was going to Be sto-
ceesfgl. They are tho principles Of ths
drsma that everybody may learn
Of playwritng that you Or anybody. ebe
may after q oourse Of lessons start In to
out successful dramas.
You cannot give . man or woman
Imagination, wit or invention, howevor
hard they may study. said Mr.; Prioe.
E no man GOULD claim anything q
the kind. But you,can teach q man TO
write q play that win conform to all the
ruler of the art. and that has accomplished
eomethfng.. It has accomplished q great
deal, for without the knowledge and uss
OF these rules no play can be altogether,
successful
RUSSIAN VILLAGE FIRES
Ak1ot by WnAcn Q Goysrnor Hspod 70 Ind