New-York tribune., 1912-08-25
COMMENT
Is Nothing Going To Be Done
About Scenery, or About
Costumes?

,Tbis is not asked I'm any aloof or quar-
rcIsome spirit 1t is merely a cry from
soul I'm need and is perhaps representa-
live oc many more such-enough for
,,,,ber Of audiences. at any rate. The
,eod is for something imaginatiye-not
of a uebulous or sentimental kind but OF
a., real constructive sort-in the theatre.
~ is admitted that the realistic plays
of the day demand realistic scenery
There is 10 possibility IN them FOR any
other kind of setting. And thesei plays
when thcv are well done and well set are
often fascinating. However they are the
onIv kind offered to us. Should we be
satisfied with Just one kind Of theatrical
foreq our plays represent people ana
cities and houses as they are or as they
hsve been. never as they VIII be or hhght
be
William Archer on his recent trip 10
Imam went to some Of the folk theatres
in TOXIC and found them representing the
c,ilturc Of japan as it was decade anu
,,or. AGO 20 which the middle classes IN
roraD stiD adhere. There was nothlnS
q, tbscc theatres to show the seven
,aao-pe stride toward a universal Norla
,,,ltrre which IS tust beginning to he
taken throughout japan to-day. y Ger
1nan writer IN commenting on this tact
made the remark that as usual III the
General advance Of nation the church
and the theatre were the two things ielt
behind,
There IS nothing Inherent in the stage
,ebicb should unit it TO rejecting merely
,,,e ,sst IND present Writers, composers
.,d5e1, other kinds Of artists can he ana
,r,er ar, ahead Of their times, why NOT
dsor,ot,sts and scenic artists? It seems
as tbo,,ph there could hardly be Dette'
,,ace TO sound a suggestive note tHen On
-. y,,,sa where IL can be heard ana uii-
derstood 20 readily. .,-.-....,-
in making a plea for imaginative Scen
orv--aud incidentally imaginative pays
too-.tbe cau is not for fairy tales anu
a,}s,rIos or for Julesvernc flights 10
NJ or TO the bottom of The sea; nor IS
3, FOR some ones fancies as to no" lhe
world Will look "a hundred years iroi"
now. ,.... ,.o,,
II Won are eoiug to build a house you
-. to Yourself somewhat vaguely tna'
v,,at Won want 10 build IS a very hl0e
l,ouse-meaning that you want soiletll'h7
,b.+ annsals more to your sense OF pleas
,,r, tbon ths fat on the corner or Tue
.,r,tesoue combination Of renaissance
Norman and Egyptian style OF home WIN
which your neighbor's lot has oeeh lii
rroved" Where are you going u so
ideas and suggestions which you can "s
in the designing of your own htIe dVou'
~ delight? BY lookinG at what Is alI
built in this tarGhitecturailyl sac anu
Diohotonous land? From the obscure anu
,piusplred aIsbitects whom you WIZ NV
10 empfoyf ,u..,-
IN does SEEM as though this IS legu'-
mate thing to hope for from the s'ds"'
that nm some cases at least WhtIe Tue
MAY itself does not absolutely lorDld IT,
A. Will be a land Of suggestion, ol uecoE''"
tive ana architectural suggestion. Ihat II
ebould he a place Of suggestion m the
ebberc of ethics and manners ana cuS-
+6us is also a. thing that it is legitimate
20 hon, Tor from the stage. rs nearly
alvavs. however, "a forlOrn hope. Almost
c,.erv plav concerns itself with notihns
t,,t irving TO force people TO SEE
THINGS ~ THEY ARE. And most
,eonlo fortunately. are optimists and
Ivofrd a whole lot rather see things less
brutal ana less NSt9 IMAM Nl4N ''A-'G
confront them in their own lives ana III
the Rats and the streets Of New 1orh
h dav and night. They would rather ge'
N an idea Of how to remove the ia'nIy
~ skeleton than TO be constantly told thai
Inc is there, and they would rather see
rooms and houses and city streets IL
which one would long TO hive than az
ways 10 be shown exact representations
of the scenes which are familiar ana ioi
aood reason are often found unattiacuVe
;EveR in the plays that are being Wrlltei
row ihere is often opportunity for sus-
ssestion that Is seldom taken advantage
of There are many plays which do not
6epepd for their. meaning on being set III
a scene typical of any one place oi
uIraso OF life. In these cases the scene
director usually makes a special point oI
locating the piece in some particular
laace and reproducing a typical example
of it's architecture and ideas. Almost IN
variably, when the play can be construed
To be a local one, some suburban own
your-own-home place is decided upon
alternating with a city hotel or common