Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-11
About Plays, Players and Playhouses

on MS a footman the next. The old Ly-
ccum company in New York I believe was
the last Of the famous stock companies
here. which included Days, Palmcr's.
Wallack's. and which furnished methods
and manners which are still used as stand
ards all over the country
Another impression of which It NAV be
well to disabuse the public mind Is that
tho New theater is TO make a speciality
Of advanced plays. I do not call them
problem plays. for Il at word problem
always strikes me as being rather made
uuate. think advanced IS a better
term.
"I am really tired Of the Ibsen uucs-
tions I'm regard TO the New theater, but
l suppose. I cannct ignore the fact that
his plays will be given their roper place
In the repertoire, but no more, and that
place is not yet determined. We expect
to produce every kind Of a play from the
classic to melodrama. II airy preference
IS shown It will be to the native product,
the American play, depicting our own ma
tional and social life--the best field for
the playwright ard the most prolific Of
all the elements which go to make a fino
play.
Are the stars to get a percentage Of
the box office receipts?'
Il believe the salary arrangement will be
the only one, but can say that the salar-
les will be generous enough to BALANCE the
profit of the other arrangement, At any
rate we do not anticipate any refusals on
that ground.
""The plays submitted to the Now theater
| will be read by the committee composed Of
Mr.. Shubert, Mr.. Corbin and myself, with
other members who are still to be selected.
From my own experience I have never
found that the complaint OF the unknown
playwright that It was impossible to get
a play read had any real foundation in fact.
Managers are too anxious to get good
plays to take any chances of losing one.
Certainly the New theater management
will welcome the opportunity Of reading
them"
Asked If the stock company idea is OPP
posed to that Of the syndicate, Mr.. Ames
permits himself a vigorous shake OF the
head. Not at all, he says Immediately,
Personally he says 'I approve Of the
work the syndicate has done and the good
it has accomplished. I don't believe II has
really been adequately appreciated. You
take, for example, a syndicate that has a
chain of theaters though the country. Sup
posing 1t wants to produce a play called
woodstock in Kansas City.
TT is a good play, and has, We will say,
had a marked success in New York with
some one-well, Mr.. John Drew, in the lead
ing role. The consequence is that II plays
to capacity. II It were not for the fact
that It had been associated with the stars
name It would fall perfectly flat.
THAT is the reason that the syndicate
system and the star system have gone
hand in hand, and It has been a great
thing for the people at large, giving them
opportunities to see plays they could not
otherwise enjoy. 1t has formed a critical,
appreciative audience through the country,
who have seen and studied the very best
in stage setting as well as acting.
THE theater building is under way, with
two stories complete. 1t is located on Cen
trail Park west, covering the entire block
between Sixty-second and Sixty-third
streets. BY the time it is completed the
criticism that it is too far uptown will not
be heard any more, for everything is COM
ing our way, and already there are two
theaters in our immediate neighborhood.
THE theater is to cost 81, 600 900, which in
cludes sthe price Of the land, and is an
outside estimate. The architects are Car
rere & Hastings, the architects of the new
library. There have been a number OF
plans suggested for the decorations, some of
these favoring a lot of mural work, as in
so many of the new theaters, others APP
proving the simple, monuments style, with
rich draperies to give warmth. l think
that idea IS excellent ana nave seen 1t fol-
lowed out in some of the European play
houses with good effect.
THE theater will seat, including boxes
and galleries, approximately 1900; the
depth of the theater from the curtain line
to the rear of the orchestra is the same as
the Empire, and, as a standard of compari-
son, the Metropolitan Opera house seats
5000. l think the theater is just the right
size.
All the newest devices IN stage setting
and lighting will be used. In going about
and comparing places and methods l am
convinced that the Germans lead the world
in this branch Of work and that Berlin is
the center Of radical improvements.
1.-THE name? No other than the New
theater has been seriously suggested
I have heard it said that that name is
lacking in imagination and I rather agree
with that point of view, but we have nc
better-as yet"