The sun., 1908-03-08
CASE FOR ENDOWED THEATRE
THE ARCHER-BARKER BOOK on
...... PIE SUBJECT.
gSneme Drawn Up by EnglIShmen THAT May
Wen he called to the AtteAti0n Of
the Directors % Tao New Theatre.
our Nearest Approach 70 EndON ment.


scheme and Estimates for a National
Theatre. by william Archer and Granville
Barker: DUfheld and Co.. New York. 1908.
Enthusiasm makes strange bedfelloWS.
The lion lies down with the lamb the critic
with the actor Behold Mr.. Archer and Mr.
Barker concoctinE a book together and
writing prefacos TO each other! Mr.. Archer
has long pleaded the cause Of the>endowed
theatre. Granville Barker. much younger
man by his conduct ol the Court Theatre
In London has shown that the actor can
also be . practical propa gandist Their
joint scheme for a national theatre com
blnes then MIR Archer's theoretical argu-
meets and critical selection Of repertoire
with Mr.. Barker's technical knowledge of
theatrical expenses, needs and conditions.
The book is put forw ard with enthusiasm.
but Il is written with hard good sense. II
10 neither visionary nor eXtravagant. The
scheme would probably work
And the plan of these two Englishmen
for an English national theatre is by no
means lacking in interest for US in America.
Not only has there been talk Of bringing
over Granville Barker as director Of the
New Theatre in this city. in which case he
would probably put many Of his ideas
70 the test: bun the New Theatre itself, with
or without MIR. Barker. realizes will
Tealze--the nearest approach 70 an en-
doved theatre America has yet seen. With
the completion Of the New Theatre in sight,
with the erection Of a private theatre by
Winthrop Ames in Boston devoted to an
artistic and popular repertoire, and, further
more. with the need Of such theatres cry
ing ever more loudly, especially in other
cities than New York. the whole subject
Of the endowed theatre may very we'll be
brought TO the front.
The argument for the endowed theatre
b simple, clear and unanswerable. It is
doably ananSw efa be in this country. where
for the most part the stage Is controlled by
men untitled by their Lack OF culture and
ideals for their high mission. The argu-
ment is based on the axiom that the drama
ranks with music. literature, painting,
sculpture as one Of the fine arts. As there
are public libraries 70 preserve and make
available the worlds literature, museums
70 preserve and make available the worlds
art. there should logically be theatres 70
preserve and make available the worlds
drama. As the first and second are neces-
saTily endowed. frequently by private
munifcence and controlled by public trus-
tees so should the third be also
just why music has 30 successfully looked
after its own interests in New York might
he hard 20 say. But that il has done 80
successfully in comparison with the drama,
at any rate. nobody will dispute. A glance
over the concert and recital programmes
for season in New York will prove that
the musical repertoire. from Palestrina to
Richard Strauss and Debussy. has had a
hearing. Sam Franko and the Musical Art
Society go back into musically remote
times for much Of their material. Handel.
Haydn and Bach are heard. Mozart
bridges the eighteenth and nineteenth CEN
turtles. Beethoven is always amply rep
resented But Strauss, Roger, the modern
Frenchmen. all get a hearing az well as the
classic composers II is only in the most
theatrical branch Of music. opera, that
complaint is made Of restricted repertoire.
With the reasons for this We have nothing
to do heFe-only with the fact The fact
is that worthy representative musical COM
positions are not suffered long 20 drop out
of the list Of public performances.
But what is the case with the drama?
The English repertoire alone comprises a
: great body CT superb dramatic literature,
most Of which is seldom or mover heard In
our theatres. Half dozen Of Sbakespeares
plays are spasmOdically revived. OF the
remainder none s ever played. Not a
single example OF Elixabethan drama
other than Shakespeare is ever presented
OF the Restoration comedy our stage knows
nothing. -She Stoops TO Conquer" The
Rivals The School for Scandal" The
Critic plays that should not be suffered to
disappear from sight, are so infreQuently
seen as TO be but names. How many years
, is IL since The Critic" was played in New
York? Most OF the drama Of the early
niAeteenth century could well enough be
lost. That was evident from the recent re-
vival Of 'Virginius." But one OF two speci-
mems should be kept on the boards. at least
for their historical significance. Some
specimens Of the later Victorian drama,
alao. should be preserved. both English and
American.
Coming down to our own day the roper
ltd9re- OF an American endowed theatre
iodght 10 include significant examples Of
klMTent dramatic tendencies. whether Eng
lish or continental. But above all il
ought TO include, 10 be constantly renewed
by, new, American plays. Itls in the worthy
REPRESENTATION Of such d repertoire and by
the influence Of the theatres prestige, by
it's freedom from commercial restrictions,
too, in fostering the native drama that an
endowed theatre properly conducted would
bSA tremendous force in the land.
Now. as our theatres are conducted at
present. whether one group Of men or an
other is in control. il is absolutely i'm
possible to maintain anywhere repertoire
like slis. No manager with rent to pay.
with. his living TO make. can afford to mount
play,for few performances. and another
for a'few more. and so on. knowing that for
eaclT- his public will soon he exhausted
Such a lpolicy would be suicide. The best
he cdh 10 is TO put on play as we'll as he
knows how in the hopo Of a run. Naturally
he strives to get plays that are either Of tried
popularity or seem to contain the elements
OF such popularity-plays that will not ex-
haust thsiT public in few performances
TherefoSSt the theatrical public is in exactly
the same condition as the reading public