Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-05-04
ITALIAN NATIONAL THEATER.
A New Project in Rome With Small
Subsidy.

The effort to establish q permanent
theater in Italy comes to the surface
every few years with a persistency
that leads to a hope of final accom-
plishment. No actor has ever been as
courageous as Ermete Novelli, who 10
years ago fitted up q playhouse in
Rome at his own expense, organized
a company made up largely of the ac-
tors who had played with him at diff
ferent times, and set out to establish
a theater which should represent to
Italy in some degree the same tradi-
lions that the Theater Francois does
to France and the Hofburg to Austria.
After a short time he saw the al
tentative of financial ruin or abandon
ment of the enterprise. When the
trivial Partisan farces were presented
for the first time they drew some sup
port from the people. but anything like
an attempt to support the production
of italian classics was discouragingly
absent. So Novelli, convinced that if
with all his vogue and popularity with
all classes of italian theatergoers it
was not possible to attract attention
to the serious drama, nobody could
do it. With this conviction he depart
| ed for tour in South America to re-
| plenish his purse.
| AL the companies in Italy travel
| from one city to another in the sup
| port Of some star. Eleonora Duse has
| her company. Novelli, Flavio Ando,
Teresa Mariani. Ida Borelli, Tina di
Lorenza-all these stars have their
own troupes and travel not only from
one of the Italian cities to another, but
| to South America, Mexico, Russia,
| Spain. where Italian actors are par
| ticularly popular, and to the Balkan
countries. Teresa Mariani, a tragedi-
enne, is regarded as the most talented
of the Italian actresses of the day,
excepting, of course, Eleanora Duse.
| Signora Mariani is serious artist,
and in that respect different from the
fascinating Borelli The latter is not
| SO much of a beauty, but in costume,
| in charm Of manner and grace of
| movement she is acknowledge supreme
| in italy.
Now it is the Teatro Argentina that
has been selected as the site for a
| theater with some national character.
1t will be municipal rather than ma
| tional, however, as the city of Rome
will alone grant the subsidy If sub
sidy ever comes. Robert Bracco, the
Neapolitan dramatist, was invited to
become the director of the Argentina,
and after publishing widely his views
as to what such a theater required,
he declined the post. The present di-;
rector is an actor, Ettore Palladini,
who was formerly with Teresa Mari
ami.
Only $1,000 during a season of five
months is given to the manager by
the city, and the Municipal Council is
frequently on the back Of the unfor-
tunate director as to the wisdom with
which he dispenses this mighty sum.
So far the difficulty in establishing the
Argentina as a permanent theater has
been the inclination of all the mana
gers to treat is just as they do the
travelling companies in which they
alone have had experience.
There is the same difficulty with the
organization of the opera companies,
which rests on the old stagione prin-
ciple, as it is called. Such institu-
tiOns as the state opera houses of Ger
many, with a regular repertoire of
| classic forces and sufficient organiza-
ton for the performance of a large
number Of works. do not exist In Italy.
A company IS engaged even in such
great theaters as the San Carlo in