New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-16

i'm the fall. I went there four years ago.
and it is now my home, my promised lahd'
And say the repertory theatre will change
this system of the American stage. II
comes and goes, but it is all the time be-
coming stronger. and IT Is always the sale-
guard and hope Of the stage.
when the repertory theatre has MADE
IFS place in America the American play
wright will produce better work. and We
will have then the great American drama
and America will have dramatic s'hool
and a dramatic art Of its own, copied from
no one.
The trouble with the American play
wright Of to-day is that he does not write
what he thinks and feels. but he pays too
much attention to technique. That Is again
because Of the chase Of the dollar when 4
European artist writes a play he writes
what is I'm him. What he has To write. Inc
thing that he must say II grips HIM II
holds him. Il must find expression Ana
so he writes After 1t Is written he Won
ders II any one can be found brave enough
to produce this play. and ne looks for
manager But until the play is written ne
never thinks If it will ever h' seen on the
stage he writes only for the glory and
the wonder and the beauty Of writing and
expressing that which is in his soul.
with the American it is different. IL"
has an idea-an idea for play. II Is
great idea. lie writes his first act II Is
fine. great. dramatic. wonderfully written,
beautifully constructed. But then he be-
gins to think. What will the managers
want? What will the public want! And
he forgets his great idea and begins to
make concessions. first TO the manager ana
then 10 the public. He thinks there Is no
use writing a play that will not be pro-
duced and bring him money. Concession
folIo,s concession, while his play ceases
tu be a play and becomes a puppct SHOW
and his characters lose their life and ae-
come automatcns that move as he pulls the
strings And so he produces a magnificent
piece Of technique, but a play in which the
characters are without life.
The Americans are Yet only on the sur
face. They do not 20 to the depths OF their
characters Ihsen discovers a character,
and then the character leads him. lie can
only protect end father. He must Dee loel-
cal. He listens 10 what the charact"r says,
and the character forces him to work out
the play in logical manner. The Amch-
can playwright has dolls and pulls the
strings. With him there are no vital. llv-
ing characters on the stage. But he has
tremendous technique and puts up Won
dcrnl bluff They don't know il them
selves yet They have got the habit.
But the repcrtory theatre will teach
them. And with the development of Amer
lean character will come IN" development
Of the American play and America will
have a standard Of her own and a dramatic
school Of her own labelled with the Amer
lean label / love America because she Is
developing and because | see for her
great and distinctive future | want TO be
a part Of that life 80 develop with her and
10 have that future OF Americas for my
future. too
Thus Miss Reicher points out the faults
Of the American playwright In the play
in which she is to appear next season the
author. she thinks, has escaped these criti-
cIsms
MY new play Is 10y Henry Ktchell Web
ster." she said. He is already well known
as IA writer Of stories. but this is his first
play II is great play and | am very
much Interested in my part. | believe that
II Mr.. Webster continues TO develop along
the lines and in the way in which he has
shown in this play. he will some day write
the great American play.
June Madness Is not a tragedy-it has
a happy ending-but 1t Is full of dramatic
action. My part, Mrs. Thornborough, is a
woman Of forty-three. who has daughter
nineteen years old. The story deals with
her past-but IL Is not a bad past-and the
play is full OF dramatic dialogue WITHOUT
being tragic. II is vital every minute. Mrs.
Thornborough is private secretary to big
railroad man and IS a woman Of strong and
Independent character
The play develops the theory that all so
clal life is a compromise. Mrs. Thornbor-
ough starts life with the theory that she