The Washington times., 1910-01-09
ActOr-Manager Outlines His
Plans for Enlarging
Repertoire.
MAY-GIVE DRAMAS
AT POPULAR PRICES
Ambition Is to Present Classics
Where Masses May See
Them.
By J. R. HILDEBRAND.

Shakespeare pays
Having proved this to his own salts
faction, T. H Sothern, before leaving
Washington today, made public plans
he had cherished for many years. but
which he has withheld until he should
demonstrate their financial possibilities
Whatever new lights Z H Sothern
and Miss Julia AIarIowe threw on the
classics in their weeks engagement
here, the gratifying patronage accorded
them was the best lesson they taught
..SbaIzesDeare has not gone out OF
vogue" Mr.. SOthern declared TINS
morning, in a hurried talk WINE ne
was making ready 20 leave the C+pitsLi-
''ThearergOerS viii pay 10 see SNAKE
sDeaTe's nI9vs when they are intelligent
Iy presented Many persons VIII pay 70
see Shakespeare when they Seluom see
anything else
Short On Business.
TOO much alleged art and too little
business Judgment have marked efforts
10 produce classic plays Having proved
that producing Shakespeare IS not
wholly q thankless task, believe the
time is ripe for working out plans
have dreamed OF for many years
The first OF these is to produce
Macbeth That project mas alIedu1
taken definite shape AFTER playing d
season Of four weeks in the same rep
ertoire Washington saw AT the MaJestlC
Tnearer in New York, Miss Marrow e
and expect 70 open Win I 211-'S,-l
IN that thealer on March Il W asllIlS-
ton probably VIII see the produCllOH
= st S0-heru- under his own man
aEement, has developed into business
man in a way that would hardy pe
suspected Of him when ne TAXED Nv
ID and brea-hed art IN the days Nntu
he Iefr the business end Of the game
putting Shakespeare on hlghly re
snuuerative basis though played o5
TWO prominent CO-SJaTS Is pToPstoiy cue
largely TO this common sense business
view of things which most artists re-
Miss NTarIozSe and T. after the pro-
duCtion Of 'AlacGes5- Snal conILnus 20
Increase our ShakeSpeareaD repertoire
Al present II consists Of seven plays,
the ones We played in Washington and
Much Ado About Nothing ITel+In
Night and AS You Like It To
those We shall add after Macbeth
King Lear and 'Othello-' These are
roles which every actor naturally 1ee-s
pIs and" he added ooyIy, IT think they
Mr. Sothern also has dreams. but the
dreams are backed by sound financial
logic
At Popular Prices.
MY ambition is TO give Shakespearean
PRODUCTIONS popular prices -DE w U
or three years before I retire from the
stage 1 believe the bard-s plays ap-
peal to the maSses-that is. the we'll
to-dO persons who Ike TO SIT in good
seats when they go 20 theater. but can't
nav 8 very often for amusement
ssThe only way TO DO this Is to play
in a Iheater large enough to hold an
audience large enough al popular prices
10 pay expenses and profit 7 never had
the idea that I would be debasinE my
self by playing for less than - If by
50 dong the educational influence OF
Shakespea-e'S plays might be increased
THE experiment has been tired. and
II was successful I stood in line for
fifteen minutes only a few years ago to
buy a 5G-osut seat to the Castle Square
TheateT in Boston That was the high
est price they charged And 7 saw q
production Of Romeo and Juliet that
was in every respect high class That
thea-eT gave classic plays all Of one
season and the aCtOr-mauaEer cleared
$4,000. The big problem is getting the
aters large enough for the audiences
needed TO make the venture financially
remuneTattve-N
When ChaSe's Celebrates.
Old home week at Chase-s. When a
theater really celebrates its eleventh
anniversary It has become a family
theater'' IN fact Some say IL has be-
come an institution
Farther away from the box Office ana