The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-11-06
A MODEL PLAYHOUSE
IS OPENED
HUNDREDS OF VISITORS SEE
FORMAL OPENING OF A NEW
THEkTER

New York. Nov 5.-At an informal
reception this AFTERNOON the public. o.
snti Of il as wits fnrtus..ttt esIaHg.l IL
secufe cards cf aim sS.on. was given
its first opportunity - insfect t.,c
Weadrous interior of The Npw tu,a,.r
the sp-called model PLAYHOUSE re-
Gently completed nj cost Of 5000
600 on the bipck bounded bv sixty
second and Sixty-third streets and
Z Central park west Hundreds Of visit
I ors throngci the c.lifice. Carriages in
an almost endless line left fashionable
/. and wealthy people AT the door. for
/ the incorrorators ana hackers of the
institution which Is designed for the
advancement OF the art of acting and
the proper presentation Of the best
plays include such citizens as J. Pier
rnnt Morgan. john Jacob Astor Au-
gust Belmont, James Stiliman. ". X
Vanderbilt. Cornelius Vanderbilt
Henry c. Prick. George ]. Gould
Clarence II. Mackay, H. Mex.
Twombs and Cortland; Field Bishop
The theater will be regularly opened
Monday night with revival of
Shakespeare's tragedy of Anthony
and CLEOPATRA" with f. H. sothern
and Julia Marldwe in the title parts.
The remainder OF the east viii in
ciude SUCH well-known actors as Fer
dinand Gottschalk. Rowland Buck
stone. Ben Johnson. Rose coghlsn,
Beatrice Forbes Robertson and Mrs.
Sol smith,
In selecting Anthony and Cleo
patra" for its initial offering the pur-
pose of the directors has been To re-
vive one of the great ShakeSpearean
dramas that Is seldom acted nova
days, and also one which win demon
strate the general ability Of the new
stock company. The first new play
To be presented Is The Cottage III the
Air" Il fantastic comedy bv Edward
knobloch. Another offering will be
The Niger" a drama distinctly
American In theme.
The New theatcr. which Is backed
by half hundred of the nations
leading millionaires. is the first thea
ter ever established in America for
other than commercial purposes Al /
though not exactly an endowed thea
ter, It's object Is distinctly not to
make money for Its founders. All
profits over and above the low rental
OF the property will he applied 10 the /
advancement Of the enterprise Itself. T
The aim Is to make oil the New
theater as nearly as possible IA ma
tional theater. one of its prime OBJ
jeets Is the encouragement of Amer
lean playwrights and American actors
and actresses. This does not mean
that inferior plays will he accented. or
inferior talent admitted to the com
piiny of players. but simply that
American plays and American players
VIII BE- given the preference, over for
eiGn plays and players. other things
being equal. Intrinsic merit, however.
viii be the first essential
The theater edifiee is a very hand
SOME structure of the French renais-
sanee style of architecture and built
of gray sandstone. Critics agree i'm
saying that 1t is one of the most COM
pietc and comfortable theaters in the
country. 1t contains many novel ideas
designed To promote the comfort of
The audience and the performers. The
entire space liz not encompassel by
The auditorium ana the stage There
i ample room for imposing fosers. /
grand staircase. smoking rooms. en-
frances. sestibulcs. elevators. restau-
rant, roof garden. stalls for canfec-
toners florists. etc. The theater will
seat a.3is persons. 600 OF whom will be
placed in the orchestra