New-York tribune., 1910-12-25
THE PLAYG0ER
A Repertory Theatre: What 1t Is
and Is Not.

no opportunity to express ITS ueciSioh oi
this matter, supposing that it has
thought of the matter at all. The op-
portunity will come when the repertory
theatre arrives If that theatre be man.
aged in the right way by the right man
II probably will receive sufficient sup
port to justify its continued existence
The attempt has no, yet been made The
New Theatre is not a repertory house,
nor is there any convincing indication
that il ever will be one.
Mr.. Charles Frohman is credited, by
the newspapers, with an intention to
build and conduct a repertory theatre
here Mr. William Gillette viii, II is
said. be associated with him in the un-
<ertaking, but whether as a partner or
as an employe is not stated. although the
nature of the relation would seem to be
important involving as it does, matters
of such moment as authority and tenure
of Office Mr. Frohman started, but
did not establish. in London, early in
1910. what he called a repertory theatre,
and what was, in part at all events,
repertory system. Mr. Frohman has
many actors on his books. When they
are not otherwise occupied they can be-
and probably are called upon to play
practically whatever he pleases- A
repertory theatre properly organized
would have many actors on Its payroll
but never so many as Mr. Frohman
has 1t would need company, not an
army. The Comsdie Francaise has a
COMPANY of thirty-six actors and tWen-
ty-nine actresses-sixty-fl players In
sE. The New Theatre, in New York,
has only fourteen actors. eleven ac-
fresses. and a boy. twcnty-six in all. ac-
cordine to the list printed in its pro-
xramrne of last week For repertory
theatre of such importance is it claims
To have or as il claims to seek, The New
Theatres company is much too small.
Rr,t The New Theatre is really not a
repertory house; neither is it COM
bination" house. yet it tries to be both-
The attempt to merge the two policies
has thus far succeeded only in mudohng
esch There is no sound reason for be-
iieving that any such attempted ANAL
Famation can ever produce a dlfferenl
result.
Mr.. Frohnan's repertory experiment
In London did not succeed. 1t extended
over a season of seventeen weeks, dur
ing which seven plays and "a triple Dill
were presented. Thirty actors were en-
pJoyed and 12S performances were given
1T is an interesting fact that the play
which received the largest number OF
performances, 10, was "Trelawny of the
Wells" which is about TO be revived II,
New York for one of Mr. Frohman
stars That the repertory experiment al
the Duke of York's had no better fortune
\ is perhaps regrettable. 1t is circum-
q stance which, however, does not appear
TO have been due to the acting, for Mr
Frohman's productions seem usually &c
be better cast in London than they are
I'm New York. The choice OF plays may
have been at fault At any rate, :hf
public must have thought SO, for even in
q repertory theatre the box office re-
turns form chart for the managers
plans About the middle of June Mr.
Frohman's repertory theatre in Londor
closed its doors. Nothing has since beer
heard about resumption Of the expert
ment- But year or two in advance o
any possible opening the announcement
is made that the same manager will Try
q repertory experiment in New York a
a theatre to be erected for the purpose
II will be time enough for outsiders
10 consider the project in detail when tht
theatre has been built and opened, wher
its plans Of operation are available
Meantime it is quite natural to wonder
whether MIR. Gillette is just the man t
select the plays for such house. His
own work as dramatist, highly success
full as it has been, does not suggest thai
the author has any relation, or ever
sympathy, with the modern movement
of the drama The stage of q, repertorl
theatre could not, perhaps, be under {
better direction than his own, nor th'
acting in more competent hands. And i
a school for young actors is to be estab
lished, as ii should be. in connection
with whatever is to be the leading rep
ertory theatre of this country, Mr.. Gil
iette might be relied upon to provide fol
its management on the best lines HI
would ask no one TO initiate his owl
voice and manner.
But what of the selection OF plays
On the selection of plays, quite mucf
as on the acting of them, depends tn
fortune of a repertory theatre.
What is a repertory theatre?
Obviously il is a theatre which has
repertory- MIR. William Archers defini
tion of a repertory is good any:
number of plays always ready for per
forrnance, with nothing more than a 'ru
through rehearsal, which, therefore, ca
De, and are, acted in such alienation tina
three, four or five different plays may b
given in the course Of a week New play
sre from time to time added TO the reper
tory, and those of them which succeed ma
be performed fifty, seventy, q hunore
times. or even more, in the course OF on
season but no play is ever performed NOR
than two or three times IN unintefrupte
succession
Mr. p p. Howe, OF London, has writer
an interesting and, for purposes OF rel
erence useful book, called THE Reper
tory Theatre: A Record and Crit
cisnl" iKennerley)- He tells what hai
been done in repertory in Dublin. Glas
gov and Manchester; he glances at Th'
New Theatre in New York. and gives III
the bulk of his pages to q critical dis
course on MIR. Frohfnan's experiment II
.Inndon Concerning the latter, h,