The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-01-13
TO IMMORTAL WILL
England Promises to Build a National
Theatre without Government Aid.

London, Jan. l3.-AS a consequence
of the controversy which arose over
the proposal to erect memorial
statue of Shakespeare in London, it
is announced that England will be en-
dowed with a national theater at
which Shakespearean plays will be
given at regular intervals, together
with other plays by English and for
eign dramatists. At any rate, that
is the belief of the committee which
was formed after the opposition de-
veloped to the scheme for erecting
a Shakespeare statue.
1t will be remembered that the lat
ter scheme was urged by the commit
tee which proposed to solicit SUBJ
scriptions from the English-speaking
world, not omitting the United States.
A good many persons, however, con-
sidered that Shakespeare's fame de-
served a better commemoration than
a mere monument of stone or marble,
and a second committee was formed
with more ambitious plans. Event
ually, after much ink spilling, the
two committees were amalgamated,
and as a result of the deliberations
throughout the autumn and winter
the unanimous decision has been ar
rived at to found national theater
as an adequate memorial of the great
est of English dramatists.
Funds by Public Subscription.
Funds are to be raised by Mansion
House subscriptions, while the may
ors of the principal provincial towns
and educational and municipal bodies
throughout the country will be invited
to arrange for other subscriptions.
1t is likely that the theater will be
built in London. In fact, the COM
mittee already has it's collective eye
on site in the very center of the
metropolis, but the exact location,
for obvious reasons, is kept a secret
for the present.
In the view of the promoters the
proposed theater will be a state in
stitution to all intents and purposes,
except that no appeal to parliament
for financial assistance is contem-
plated The promoters believe that
IF the idea of great national the
ater. based and conducted on the
highest lines. were widely and eff
ciently placed before the public there
would be no lack of financial support
In its Initiation or subsequent patron
age"
1t may be as we'll to mention :hat
some OF the leading members of the
committee are the lord mayor of
London, the earls of Plymouth and
Lytton, Viscount Esher, Sir John
Hare. William Archer. Granville
Banker. Edmond Gosse. Sidney Lee,
A. w. Pinero, H. Beerbolm Tree, and
George Bernard Shaw.
One of the newspaper supporters
of the scheme says: The promoters
include some of the most distinguish
ed men of the day." With Bernard
Shaw's name on the list who would
doubt it?
Some Missing Names.
But where are Hall Caine and
Marie Coreflt? Surely aEy tribute
to Shakespeare must be incomplete
without all three. After reading the
complete list of the committee one
is not surprised to find that the
national theater will not be an ad-
vanced theater nor purely a revival
theater, Shakespearean or otherwise.
1t will be playhouse for the pre-
sentation. primarily. of the best plays
by English dramatists. living or dead,
and controlled by board of trustees
and management representative of
the literature. drama, music, and edu-
cation of the day; but foreign actors
and actresses in plays by foreign
dramatists will be invited to occupy
the boards as occasion suggests"
1t is stated that the highest social
support, together with government
approval. is practically assured. and
that some handsome private subscrip-
tions are already promised; but l am
afraid that more than that will be nec-
essary before England will have an
endowed national theater really wor-
thy Of the name.
AfHnn A csI1 mn AIf@x-