New-York tribune., 1910-01-30
SHAKESPEARE
ATTHE NEW THEATRE
Winthrop Ames, Director. Tells
Ho1r Dramas 4re
Produced.

the difficulties encountered are enornous-
There are 10 royalties 70 pay. 5Cr the ex-
pense OF production "a Tremendous Yes
terday Mr.. A1aes told. for rhs benefit 9.
Tribune readers. Just what must os 6on=
before one % Shzkespesre's plays e ready
for production
First" Re said. we have % select CT
stage version This sometimes agrees -f-a
the accepted literary vers.ons-Particz1zrfy
IN the case of the shorter plays-5U- uz1zl1y
IL does not We have 20 % over the pay
Hns for line. cutting here ard the-s n
order 10 reduce II 50 thai i may be Pre-
sentsd within the usual tine occupied 5y
q modern performance We cut with tne
idea OF sacrificing nothing that Is essential
TO a proper understanding ot tEe zpsrir %
the play The prompt books % ne Shaks-
spearian plays in Shakespears's day prob
ably. II no case. corresponded with tls
literary versions So we feel tus-iaed II
cutting the plays 70 suit or own uses
After We have determined or So-Ains
stage version We go back 70 tradition 20 sea
what other producers have done
For Twelfth Night We consulted =.
least fifteen prompt books. old versions
used by actors OF other generations and
versions used by contemporaries Each
was compared separately with our own
cuts For ore mans cuts We Use red
line, for another q green lire. etc We
thus get all the points OF view o. al che
versions All this Is done II consultation
with the stage managers.
HISTORICAL RESEARCH
Then the next thing 20 GO is 70 iat out
what Shakespeare was talking about Ee-s
begins our historical research Our prompt
book is full. from beginning 70 end. o, ex-
MIA 90 E--E r.
effort to make the meaning clear. This
fixes the accent OF the actors lines For
example take MaIvolio's reference to his
watch IN the fifth scene OF the second act:
I frown the while; and perchance wind up
my watch, or play with u1y-soue rich
jewel
Watches at that time had Just been IN
vented MalvoIio boasted OF his wealth
when he referred 70 his watch
In Twelfth Night there are quite a
number OF the old things that have bean
discovered. and We have gone 50 far as %
get the music for the little catches. etc.
Take. for instance. this catch OF Sir Tobys
In Act II. Scene III: Farewell. dear heart.
since I must needs De gone We have
hunted up the full song. and We got il
from the relics Of Shakespeare's time.
don't know whether II was used in any
former production or not. We have secured
from different sources reproductions OF all
the musical instruments referred 10 in the
play
a prompt book Ike ours means search
ing through from fifty 10 one hundred
books and reading innumerabIe press clip
pings We have TO determine even the ac-
cent and pronunciation OF queer words be-
fore rehearsal is thought OF. When We
have finally determined our stage version
we rough out the business OF the play.
We do this by playing through the play
with little figures dressed like dolls In
this way it is easy 10 determine exits and
entrances and just what We need for
scenery We work out the business as we
go along. We can usually tell when We
discover the business as Shakespeare in
tended 1t by the smoOthness with which the
characters move. From playing out the
drama with dolls the scene grows IN our
mind; We want doorway here, a window
there. chair az this point. a couch there.
Then We call in the art director. Ham
Hton Bell.
THE ART DIRECTOR.
He Is given the ground plan, showing a
table here, a door there. a couch there.
Meantime he has been reading the play TO
get its period and deciding on a period for
the play Most Shakespeare as played is
not IN the period Twelfth Night he has
laid in Illyria, and he makes it about the
period OF Shakespeare. He consults his
costume books. etc. sends abroad for pho
tosraphs. hunts up architectural pictures
Of the period and place.
We say 10 him. Here is the scene We
discuss and modify our plans Then Mr.
Bell makes little colored model. show
ing exits and entrances and the type OF
architecture he wants. We set that up
like little theatre and play the play all
over again with our dolls. Then We cor
rect the models. Then Mr. Bell gives the
scene painter the rough models in color and
asks for the finished models. When these
are received the play Is ready 10 go TO the
actors who have been cast for the play
Shakespeare requires a long cast and
finely balanced one. You can't get a well
balanced performance without people COM
petent in every part from beginning 20 end.
Casting play is very hard. Perhaps three
quarters or one-half of the cast requires
practically no thought. The proper actors
are Immediately determined upon But
when you come to the minor characters you
find your difficulty You have two men who
seem to be able TO play part equally we'll
Who shall take IL? A man plays best the
part that is nearest his own personality.
certain point Sometimes an actor gets
Fart that he thinks is right in his line. and
he can't play IL at all. At other times he
takes part with reluctance and finds that
he plays II very we'll OF course. in casting.
lines are Immediately drawn-physicsl
lines. One must be physically adapted 20
part. Generally the stage manager viii
make a cast without my knowledge. In the
mean time I have made mine We then
compare our casts. and after discussion
agree on the final one. Very often We con-
suit the actor himself before We decide
Sometimes We have 10 go outside 20 set an
actor. as the company is limited IN number
and therefore in personality.
THE ACTOR AND THE LINES"
Each actor is given his own lines with
all the business indicated He has read
the play. OF course-very likely he has
played 1t. He may like the cuts that We
have made and ne may not. He Will have
a suggestion 20 make, He may throw away
more OF our suggestions than he will use
He may have the old tradition or the fresh
point of view-which Is always good
thing. We add lines and change them. and
tnally determine just what We viii do
Shakespeare has stage directions
that is what makes the various productions
30 interesting. Nobody knows what ShaAs-