The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-04
ENGLISH THEATRES AND ours
PLiIURI6HT NttGHaN TtIkSl
ON rHE "a Meet.
Newest aG EnEilsi, Piaymakers to Attract
Attention Makes ~ fiis fnrst N.it
Ilunnor That d Not Local Goes
Easti, On Boih Countries, ne says

lish playwright. who ~ making his hrSt
visit To the United States. belongs To the
newer set Of drama makers over there
for II has been little more than three years
sine. his first successful play was pro-
ducsd He was found yesterday at the
~. Regis busily writing ON new play
and gathering inspiration from a seven
! teenth story view 81 New York which his
window commands
Mr.. Vaughan is 30 years old, little
below medium height and wears black
mustache. He speaks slowly and de-
Iliberately and with an accent that IL
broadly London. though he was born in
Paris and lived there most OF his early
life. He was educated at Heidelberg.
but he seems 10 have escaped the usual
disfiguration Of countenance that be-
tokens such a distinction. For years
before the world knew him a. a play
wright Mr.. Vaughan wrote books. pro-
ducing on an average OH. year One
OF the best known of them il IA of
lambeth" a story Of the London slums.
After six weeks in this country, divided
among New York. Boston and Washington.
with \ peep into the siumber city on the
west bank Of the Delaware. Mr.. Vaughan
thinks he hikes Us. but as for putting us
into a book or exhibiting us on the stage
the thought is far from him. II may be
a relief to know that Mr.. Vaughan has
no American Notes" in pref aration.
and az for American characters he says
American plsywrights can best portray
them.
i came over here solely To enjoy my
self. said Mr.. Vaughan yesterday. and
have succeeded in doing thar thoroughly.
My first successful play was Lady Fred
.rick.' which Miss Ethel barrymore
played over here. after Miss Ethel Irving
had created the r6l. IN London. Since
then there have been Jack Straw,
Penelope and smith. which John Drew
Is now playing
Getting a play accepted u. the start
was no easy matter II took me ~ least
three years to find anybody who was
willing 10 take tho chance Of producing
Lady Frederick II was refused IN turn
by seventesn managers before IT was
produced by Otho Stuart II ran IN
London a wear and three months,
hav. sold since then plays thar | wrote
before I did Lady FredericS One -
Mrs. Dot. which Miss Bilh. Burke IL
PLAYING over here. That had teen re-
fused
How do account for managers retus-
ing plays that they may aft.-warl ~"
glad TO get II ~ very simple Prcduc-
ing play il very expensive and il in
wolves great deal of risk | do not think
any manager will produce a play by an
unknown man Il he can help himself. ~"
caus. in all probability second class
play by a we'll known draInatIst - better
than anything an untriei man can pro-
duc". Every manager who has put ON
play by an unk no~n author has done SO
because he lack al something els" az the
,im. and that - wher. the new drama
tl-t's opportunity comes IN He has
just got to be- on IN. spot with "A paY
that = all
Here IN America think thor. is more
Opportunity thau .l>ov here" b"cati.. .
there ar. go many theatres and such IN
enormous public that 10 simply demand |
ing plays In London thsr. ar" not 50
many theatres and "A play sometimes ,
has a very long run. which of course k..ars ,
down TN. demand for new ones Then !
our public il really only London. whiln
here the public IL the " hole United Stat.l
i do not limit myself TO comedy |
one. which - called GRACE and which /
cam" out IN London early ia the autumn
and ~ To b" produced herr, next fall by
Charles Frohnan. is an extremely serious
play
DO YOU find YOUR plays have Ia he
changed IN anv respects 10 be appreciated
over here
Well. they sny that American humor
j. entirely different from tn. English
article. and they say in England there IL
10 sense in IN" former Fortunately for
ne they Seem 70 think here that INV san-e
u humor IL all right | went over 10
she other night 10 soc Billie
Burke in my play. and 1t did my hear
good to hear the shouts of laughter
There IL no difference in appreciation
-, ve.n an English and an Amer can
audience. so FAR a. | can Judge e1Cep'
here few local jokes they didn't catch
m TO here. but hat WAS to have been tx.
,act ed. What one has TO do is TO make
ok..s that are not local
Til" successful play pays better in
america than IN England said Mr.
Vaughan IN answer to n question -ha-
Ais. he public IL 90 much larger and the
nld for plays larger Still. ! think a
ucc-~sfui author can get all tn" PLAYS
!. wants to write produced anywhere"
4 don: know thai | ever studied PLAY
'riting. II cam" IN a sort Of natural
ashton. For ten years | earned my >
wing a. a novelist ard story writer II,
ope TO get back 10 that sort of thing very
Don OF course | have found the stage
mr. more rcnunerativ". ! do not require
my special surroundings when | writ"
think ! wrote just as happily in a hotel
Dom in Washington 80 anyw her" else.
nj. hope. just a. well.
In my opinion plays ar. put on here
Iist as well a. in London Smith is
tagged JUS; a. well IA il war IN London.
nd IL extremely well acted >
have come 10 the conclusion during
~ visit over here that ih. day,, " rh.. 3
.ngli-n and IN" French dranati-t ar.
numbered in America. have tn" id.a
hRi American drama'i-ta ara wiring
ett"r plays every year. and ihar,. i a :
shole school here hat IL extremely car I
est and able and which il writing pIava ,
bout American lie which the American ,
ublc will naturally enjoy far nlor. Than
lay- about English and French u.orln