New-York tribune., 1912-02-18
THE PLAYGOER
A Wilderness of TheatreS-New
Version of "KiIIing the Goose"

DIR Dressler, of the National Board OF
Education, declared this week that the
American people are eye-mlndeo' anu
No cited the tremendous popularity Oh
,be moving picture business for iliustra-
.,oo ~ his opinion or discovery. The
moving pictures, he is reported as say
ing. divert popular attention from all
forms of art. Perhaps he said 'other
forms of art. Well, the taste Of the free
and enlightened voter. his wife ana
nropeny may be left to take care OF ltseiI
An accordance with hallowed CUSTOM
Apvhow. what is to be done about II!
Everybody knows that the moving pct
ure has become, so far as patronage 30
concerned, a serious rival OF the theaIre'
II has cleared the galleries, at any rate
and the managers Of playhouses are oe-
nloring the disappearance Of consider
able and profitable portion OF their pun
Tic Season by season now, the galleries
of most of the principal theatres IN Ne"
York are empty. But, excepting IN one
or two cases, the prices of tickets are
moi reduced. In many theatres the bal
comics are half and less than half, hlled'
But excepting in one or two cases. the
prices are not reduced
Perhaps the managers are not yet con-
WINGED that there are too many theatres
and TOO many inferior entertainments
Some of the theatre folk do not con-
ceal their apprehension Of further ana
even more startling diminution OF their
hold upon the affections and the incomes
of the public. They can be heard Ia
ynenting that the callings Of the ACTOR
and the playwright viii be doomed when
the moving picture has the phonographlc
attachment of which so many wonders
have been prophesied. When that day
comes nobody will pay to see a piay'
they moan. Everybody will buy seats
for the photographic-ph photographic re-
productions of plays which are performed
before phono-cameras in Jersey city or
Hoboken. Acting will die, dramatic au-
thorship will perish and dramatic critics
will disappear from planet which has
no further use for them. For the latter
consummation many theatre folk would
even now sacrifice everything excepting
their engagements.
But this pessimistic outlook upon the
future is born of small faith in the
present. The most skeptical are they
that traffic in acting. while they have
the least belief in it as anything more
than a trade and the least knowledge
and appreciation Of it as an art. There
are quarters in theatredom where the
mention Of "art" meets only with de-
rision. Talk business" and you are
welcome; talk art and you are
scorned. Il have the greatest mentality
in New York." beloved manager not
unknown to a certain sort Of fame, when
an actor ventured the opinion that his
own way of playing the part for which
he was billed was appropriate and e1ec-
tive, as indeed it was. I've the great
est mentality in New York, and tell
YOU if you don't do this thing my way
you'll get - - out OF here. me
managerial language was really stronger;
strong enough to break the press-if an
attempt were made TO print it.
SAY, how long would it take you to
grow a mustache?' asked another man
ager of leading man.
Weeks. And then IT wouldn't be the
right kind. My mustache is stubby.
But didn't II occur to you that L can
buy one?"
Hell! You're no type. Nothin' doin.
We want types here"
Managers Of this type" know as much
about dramatic art as monkey knows
about trout fishing. And they pull long
faces when they hear about the coming
OF the phono-hlm drama, unless they
have plans for getting in on the ground
floor"
1t is as absurd to suppose that the
prophesied coming of the phono-film will
destroy the arts Of acting and play
writing as It ever was to suppose that
iithoeraphy, photography and halftones
would destroy the art Of painting. If
anybody ever really supposed such a
calamity possible. But If the new and
dreaded invention kills off half the the
atres, the conditions which surround the
arts Of acting and dramatic authorship
will be improved. II Is conceivable that
there Will be better acting and better
plays. In the existing state of affairs
the theatres are killing acting and re-
tarding the development Of dramatic
authorship The colossal army Of medi-
ocrity is depicting public confidence in
the theatre.
New York has far too many theatres
The statement is familiar. but ineffective
as mere statement. The rate Of in
crease for the present year is one new
theatre for every two months. To-day
there are thirty producing" houses
which may fairly be included among the
first class Next month there will be
one more Next season there will be six
more In 'all the United States thsgs7aye