The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-07-15

tnealrlcal company mas Deen III
creased from 100000 to $l,OOO.OOO.
The ancient Greek theatrical man
ager was known as a Choregus, while
the Greek term for the actor was
Hypokrites.
L. A. Sparks has been engaged for
"A Gentleman From Mississippi" He
will have the part of Randolph, the
little Southern "fire-eater."
In Shakespeare's time printed bills
were stuck on posts on which the
title of the play was announced, but
neither the name of tne author nor
those of the actors.
Julia Hanchett has been engaged
for The Man of the Hour" Another
engagement for this same company
is that of James ]. Moran, wlo will
be seen as Gibbs the broker.
When sailing on the Hamburg, July
Sir Charles Wyndham said that
of all the plays he had seen in Ameri-
ca he regarded The Third Degree as
the one most likely TO win favor with
London audiences.
When Edmund Breese retires from
THE Third Degree" in October to
be starred by Mr.. Harris in James
Bernard Fagan's play, The Earth
Mr.. Stuart will succeed him in The
Third Degree" in the role of Richard
Brewster.
Henry B. Harris has engaged
Ralph Stuart TO create one of the
-. Da1Inrlrfc
latest play, Such Little Queen,
which inaugurates the season of the
Hackett Theatre, opening on Monday,
August 30
The season of 1909 and o of the
Bennington opera house will open
with the production of Polly of the
Circus" on Monday August %. TIE
season of 1867 opened on the same
date with the Red Feather opera
company.
"A Gentleman From Mississippi"
which is nearing it's 400th perfor-
nance continues to attract large
audiences to the Aerial Gardens atop
of the New Amsterdam Theatre in
New York. 1t has now comfortably
settled down for the remainder of
the summer.
The Eastern company of "The
Travelling Salesman" closed its sea
son at the Park Theatre on Saturday
July 3 It's run in Boston was ex-
ceeded in duration only by THE
Merry Widow" which played just
one week longer than did James For
bes capital comedy.
A fact not generally known is that
Walter Craven, a member of the COM
pany presenting The Third Degree"
under the direction of Henry B. Har-
ris, made his American debut with f.
H. Sothern in Lord Chumley" at the
old Lyceum Theatre on August 81,
1878. Another prominent actor in
the same company with Mr.. Craven
was Herbert Kelsey.
Reginald Darlington. who played
the secretary in THE Lion and the
Mouse" has been engaged for the
Grace George company next season
to appear in the role of the butler in
"A Woman's Way" His wife, Evelyn
Carter, also will be member of the
company. Another engagement an
nounced for the same company is
that of Charles Stanley.
Days Theatre closed its doors for
the summer last Saturday night and
another New York Broadway play
house has been added to the list
ito open early in August" THE
Climax, which has been the attrac-
ton at Days Theatre for the past
fourteen weeks has been moved next
door to Weber's Theatre, where Mr..
Joseph Weber will continue the sue
cessful run OF Edward Locks unique
play throughout the entire summer.
The ancient Greeks, in order to
show their disapproval of play,
manifested it by kicking the benches
and grooming. If the noise became
so loud as to deafen everyone, an
other play was put on. Another ia
vorite way of showing their disap-
proval of an actor was by throwing
stones at him. Aeschines, a famous
actor of his time, very nearly lost his
life on one occasion by being made
the target of stone-throwing COM
petition.
Preparations are going smoothly
forward whereby Polly of the Cir
Gus" the most successful play of this
generation, will be presented in its
entirety at the Bennington opera
house in the near future. A produc-
ton of this magnitude combining as
it does a first class dramatic COM
pany and the sensational features OF
the greatest circus performance, has
never before been attempted outside
of New York, Chicago and cities of
similar size, and local theatregoers
are certain to stamp this enterprise
with their approval by turning out
for "Polly of the Circus" record
breaking house.
Joseph NJ Gates has placed one of
the numerous brood of Schumann-
Heink under contract for next season.
xxyI,o,, tsThraa TWinco haUipc ffc Fall