New-York tribune., 1910-01-02
WOMAN DRAMATIST
Hoe She Began and Hosc She
Von Success.

(Which has Just closed its successful run
at the Savoy Theatre. with Margaret
Anglin in the title role. and OF several
plays in which Miss Florence Roberts has
toured the West. first started on her career
as q playwright on a wager. But then,
this very modest. capable young Westerner
has managed To keep her name out OF
print. and the public has known Miss
Thompson through her work only.
1T happened this way" said she to
visitor AT her apartment in a New York
hotel Miss Florence Roberts had seen
some letters had written to a friend, and
suggested that / stop wasting my thunder
on things fugitive and turn my attention
10 plsywriting. I'll wager she said, that
You can't write me an acceptable one-act
play. and do il in a week. III take you
up on that I answered. L went TO work
I'm a spirit Of finn and finished the play in
six days. The title, Only the Master Shall
Blame" Miss Thompsons Irish blue eyes
twinkled. 'aras very impressive, and was
almost as long the play. That was my
very first attempt at playwriting.
-'And was your first effort staged?"
Yes and somehow il made a success
Then Miss Roberts gave me a contract to
write her q comedy, a Suit of Sable.
which she still plays. wrote four more
plays. Three Of them have gone the sue
cesSful road from star 10 SUCK, DuI the
fourth was n failure.
II had written comedy all along, and
Miss Roberts asked me TO try my hand at
a strong emotional play. I was perfectly
willing: thought it would be great fun.
So I inst rolled up my sleeves and went
at ft: wrote page after page Of emotion.
and then threw in all the blood and thun-
DER ] could think of. just for good measure
The play was produced and-ny, the roast
ing II got, The awful things said about
that play would make you scream Ash
ton Stevens said" she leaned back in her
chair with q very infectious laugh, " 1T
would put whipcords in the throat OF
Laura Jean Iibbey.'"
Ibid You think 1t so funny at the timer"
Yes So did Miss Roberts But she
didn't laugh as much as I did
Miss Thompson's Joke" will be better
appreciated when II is remembered that at
the time IT was produced she was drawing
royalties on about four plays.
Did you write another emotional play?"
Il decided / was not a so-called emo
tionaI playwright. So came TO New York
and wrote over three plays that had been
faiiures-not mine, other peoples. After
that j refused 10 tinker any more, and
built up plots of my own for present and
future use"
But where did you get your technical
knowledge of drama?" interrupted the re-
porter.
Didn't have any, she answered. with
characteristic frankness: mot until I came
10 New York Here 1 went down into the
arena and spilled my blood the thirsty
sands-worked with men. It's the only
way You may have great dramatic in
stinct and still not be able to write play.
until by actual work you have learned how
TO bring your story directly and simply
over the footlights-
Don't you think a great deal can be
learned by watching plays?'
Yes. indeed-especially failures. You
have no idea how much be learned
from a failure. Then go home and don't
DO nkewise-if you can help #"
Can you tell what ii is that causes
play to failT'
No. Neither can anybody else. Nobody
say just what makes plays fail. Per
sonaIly, j think this inability to bring the
dramatic action simply over the footlights
has sounded the doom Of many plays. The
first line OF play is, after all, important
and some first li-ies are strokes of genius.
To illustrate:
I'm 'aIzs. Danes Defence the cat of the
play makes the first entrance-from the
bsilroom-in high dudgeon, followed by her
husband, who vainly tries to expostulate.
Before he can say a word she threatens ex-
plosively, I warn you if you continue TO
pay such marked attention TO that woman
I'll tell the whole neighborhood her his
toryr At once the author, Henry Arthur
Jones, has his audience. All! a woman
with history; woman with a pasta
3ealous wife-1ets hear 1 think Mrs
Danes Defence has the cleverest opening
OF any play yet written"
Miss ThOmpSOr'S rich daep ,,o;ra h.-
superb poise and her splendid acting as
she finpersonated the angry woman of the
play prompted the reporter TO ask whether
she had ever been an actress
Il played Hallelujah Maggie last season
with Mrs. Fiske in Salvation Nell 1t was
a good part. and suited me because il
called for a woman tall and contralto but
had 10 give UP playing because 1 could
not spare the time to go on the road 7
played under the name OF Mary Madison
but Ashton Stevens discovered me on the
opening night, and the next morning the
Joyous news of my identity was given to
the public. 1 have to thank Mr.. Stevens
for very good criticism, however"
DO you think actors make good plav-
wrights?'
Il think there is the danger of an actor
playwright developing his own part at the
expense Of the general development of the
pay i KNOW III were writing a play for
myself j should always see my own mart
Actors have the dramatic instinct. how
ever, and should be able TO write good
plays, but they work so hard in their own
profession that they have no time to write.
usually. Actors are hard workers but pIay-
wrights are lazy"
The reporter gasped.
Yes, they are, We hate the physical
labor Of actual writing with an unchris-
tian hatred. I can't begin TO tell YOU the
number of plays / have not written
DO ] prefer writing plays of my own
10 dramatizing books? Infinitely! It's
easier. The characters are your own: YOU
don't have TO adopt them. Decentralization
is hideous, gloomy word. But after all
a play is first a story-and whether that
story is Of your imagination, or book, or
from life. what difference does il make?
il is merely a question OF treatment
How does one follow a book with its
many scenes and characters when you are
permitted but four scenes in "A play. and
comparatively few cbaracters?"
Think only of the story. Pick out the
characters that are absolutely necessary
10 its dramatic action, and sweep all the
others away. You have to make up much
of he GizlOnEe fropu no ,ond;tsou. 90