The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-08-23
The Daylight Theatre.

Inc AMERICAN lnedlTF mas TttilHli'Nl
Indifferent 70 many questions Of that
reform IN the matter Of stage aesthetics
that IN now interesting foreign C"lIn-
tries There il usually a trace 81 anna
teurishness in these artistic propagan-
das that deprives them Of any influence
IN the American threatre. which is very
largely commercial and. IN spite -
costly experiences from time 10 time
quite well satisfied with itself
lust now the daylight theatr" l. the
only salvation for the drama Thus
means the acting Of PLAYS ON "f dOors
The cnt husiastic advocates Of this n"w
gospel find that the present d-gcneracy
81 the stage will be remedied and dra-
matte ART restored Ia the place II held
among the ancients bv the success uf
the out of door theatre In SWISS
canton the new scheme has been put
into practlcs with every sign Of pros
perlty. One such institui ION, however.
- hut an inadequate Application 81
this principle They must De ~ uumcr-
OTIS a. the odlou- rooted IN and other.
wise enclosed plavhouSe- that hav"
served 10 bring such artificial DAYS pn
the drama ONLY then will the poet and
the aut h0r be restored 10 the place th"y
held IA The theatr" IL antiquity and
should hold TODAY.
When the drama ran in on Of tho ram
and ENJOYING the protection Of "A rouf
over her head. STAYED indoors the pc
turr rather than the play becam" th,
thing Mise en seen" took Va" place Of
The dethron-d poet who IN The ire" DAYS
II the GreCian stage had spoken by the
mouths uf his actors. The anGsnis
knew moving men and women on their
stage and never bothered their hcad-
about pictures any more than he Eliza
bethanS did ~ rerverse has public
taste become that only in the modern
PLAYHOUSE with is illumInai ions. IL
scenery. its painted PLAYERS and its cur
tain does the conception Of the theatre
eSist Ask any man what theatre is
and he will desCribe 10 Won what We now
know by that name and no; the shrine
at which the actors and listeners used
10 meet 10 do common reverence as
spectators and interpreters 10 the au-
thor 81 the tragedy
Now there il a cur ain that falls be
tween the two groups thar once were
united in this same interest Actors
and audience are separate. instead Of
part cipating in the delights II poetic
drama that unfolded itself about them
the spectators sit and watch the pic
tures that the skill OF stage managers.
the ingenuity Of electricians and the
expenditure Of artistic effort arrange for
them. Tho daylight stage Is to do away
with all these false theories and restore
the drama to its natural beauty. Under
the sky. with no more tricky effects Of
stage illumination than the shifting
clouds provide and with the trees and
will once more come into his own M the
protagonist in the performance Al
though subject 10 the mechanism Of the
modern playhouse. he will ~ supreme
in tho daylight theatre.
Tragedies will be the principal roper
tory, although In the Swiss theatre
smaller pieces are successfully per
formed. There are device 10 show tho
interior scenes, which had hitherto boon
the stumbling block in tho way Of open
dir representations Al least two such
theatres DOW exist, for therc 10 one IN
Germany. whore this NOV ement' has
been most seriously followed. Both
France add Belgium have recently
given very elaborate ont OF door pro-
auctions 81 plays The srena az BE-
ziers has been used for some years.
while MAURICE MAETERIINCK' per
Torrance Of Macbeth" delighted Bel
gi'Im 20 much that the King has shown
q personal interest in the movement
this summer There has ney er been any
lack - pastoral plays IN England, az
this out ~ door playing has been called .
there. although II has not been - pre- |
tentlous A. the recent efforts IN the
Continent il - all very different from