The Washington herald., 1909-07-18
FREDERICK A. THOMPSON.
A Stage Director Who Thoroughly
Knows His Profession.

Knows His Profession.
No one ever goes TO the theater with
out resolving himself into q critic. Every
man, woman, and child who witnesses a
performance on the stage goes away with
some thought, whether expressed or not
either favorable or unfavorabIe, as TO what
he has seen. The public knows what 1t
likes, ana no one has the power TO con-
vince I: otherwise.
But OF all the critics that the theater
makes. there is but a small percentage
OF the individuals who could ten you just
why he likes such a thing. or why he did
not care for such another feature The
admiration of favorites is a popular pas
time with the diligont theatergoer. and
that IS a simple form Of criticism, which
is based largely on prejudice. The wor-
shiping OF particular playwrlghts or com
posers is another phase Of this SANG
agreeable occupation. When It comes,
however. 10 a judgment Of a performance
as whole. there are comparatively few
persons who can give you a reason for
the conclusions they may reach. and yet
those conclusions may be perfectly just
and exhibit great disoernment
One Of the favorite expressions OF the
amateur critic. when he doesn't like a
play. Is that 1t lacks something, I don't
know what" In nine cases our OF ten
what the play lacks is stage management.
a comprehensive term. covering the whole
gamut of the intimate technique OF the
theater. the breath Of life. as II We're,
4fr4f,
lack OF that electric spark Of vitality has
killed many a performance that was fairly
well sponsored in the way Of intelligent
actors. playwTights, and angels" Stage
managers are Ike poets-born.
The stage manager is the hub. around
which the whole structure Of a perform
auce revOlves. Every spoke is c0ncen-
tTated I'm him. The outer rim OF the
wheel-if we must pursue the metaphor
may be ukened to the public-divergeut
: in taste. out every part receiving strength
/ from the hub
/ Supposing actors We're handed their
parts. all carefully written down. with
/ the authors stage directions and business
noted. and that they were told 10 re-
I port on the evening Of the first perform
ance letter perfect in their roles, each 10
I play has part according 70 his own ideas
|
I Unless the stage manager with the domi-
nant personality IS there TO guide, the re-
suit would be nothing but chaos
II was once said Of a celebrated pro-
ducer of grand 0peras-than which there
/ Is no class Of performance burdened with
| such diverse material 20 work with-that
/ il wa not his ability 10 bring order out
( Of chaos that made him great. but that
/ he so successfully managed chaos. But
/ perhaps his case was exceptional or per
/ haps somebody merely wanted an excuse
I for an epigram. AT any rate no stage
/ managers can ger away with the mere
/ management of disorder nowadays He
! has absolutely got 20 have the goods OF
/ his productions VIII lack the someth ine
/ that the public does not recognize as the
/ absence Of the electrical spark from the
human dynamO-the stage manager
Frederick A. Thompson. who IS The
/ stage manager for the Columbia players
\ is the sort Of man 0f whose productions
I one can always say that he more thar
makes the most OF his materials and op-
/ portunities. There could De no better
/ example Of his ability than the prOdul-
/ ton Of when We Were Twenty-0ne.
which fairly took the town by surprise
/ last Monday night and which proved the
/ biggest stock performance Washington
I has been privileged 10 witness. And II
+ was all gotten up within the space OF a
week
( But Mr.. Thompson has had a training
7 which has eminently htred him for The
work with which he has made such a
/ profound impression. Last season Mr
\ Thompson was with Julia Marlowe. N
/ The Goddess OF Reason" and during
/ the spring and summer Of 1907 and 1856
was stage director for the stock season
/ az the Shubert Theater. Kansas CITY
I For four seasons. ending only with tht
/ death OF The star, he was stage director
( with Richard Mansfield In the course
/ Of this engagement he handled the pro-
1 dUction Of Peer Gyut' and the Mans
/ field repertoire. The season Of 1860
/ was spent with the stock company al tn,
/ Star Theater. Buffalo. y. Y. and prioi
/ 20 that for five seasons he was wiz
! David Belasco. rehearsing The Darlns
/ Of the Gods" each season after the frs
and playing the part Of Zakkuri Previous
10 that he was in the original production
I Of "CyTanO de Bergerac," playing IA,
! Comte de Falvert He was also in Ia,
! original cast Of IF Were King" play
I ing Jeban lie LOup. One Of the pleasant
( est memories OF his career is the twS
/ seasons he was stage manager for T. =
/ Sothern, staging the original production
I Of Anthony Hopes The Adventure ol
I Lady Ursula" He was also stage man
/ ager Of the original "TriIby" company
/ for two seasons was the stage director OF
i the Pike Stock Company in Cincinnati
and for three summers occupied a similar
] position with the Proctor Stock COmpany
! In New York City. Mr.. Thompson was
with Rose Coghlan I'm "Forget-me-not'
/ and Pes WcFngton" and with Feliy
! Norris in The Best Man and "Behint
+ the Scenes" But his original training
and that which he most highly prizes
/ was that he obtained as a member OF the
/ old A. N. Palmer Stock Company. m
/ which he was associated with Maurice
1 Barrymore. z. J. Henley, E. N. holland
7 ]. II. Stoddard. Reuben Fax. Julia Ar
I thur. May Brooklyn. Mrs d. p. Bowers
! Frederick Robinson, George Fawcett. and
/ other notable actors. whose names are
! Identified only with the best the stage
I has TO offer.
Farewell at the National.