Arizona republican., 1912-12-08
Theaters Neglect Children

(Walter rinchard Eaton American,
 Why have ~c don" nothing of late years ir '.f thoatcr for children? Why have we left fHau. "t home or l"t them ruin their eyes and s'a'jt their imaginations at motion pictures d~tasr their taste at vaudeville? II is thrice pity is indeed crime.
 on" rcason-ard perhaps the cblaf reason Is, of course that of late years theatrical managers have for the most part been men quite incapable of understanding tho needs of children and quite indifferent to them You neither write, act produce q play children uhlc%y you hay" sympathy with children and un- less you recognize the function Of tho th"at"r f"- ward them Moreover Broadway th" Iast piace in tn" world wh"r" children are found or wanted and Broadway in recent years has dictated to our drama. Broadway has been producing for the fired business and the visiting drummer
 once in while of bit primitive simplicity in remember "GittI" Lord Fauntleroy' and Mlic Jarnes's exquisite per formance of the Wizard of Oz." and then the cap tvatng Peter Pan" (which by the way had to sell eighteen thousand tickets at half price [" m" Peoples Institute before Broadway discovered it's charm though it was written by J. M. Barrie and acted by Maude Adams. When the children Of hundreds of bed springs were broken by juvNniI" attempts at aerial navigaton and Peter Pan games ragged in every Kindergarten.
 Th6n had The Blue Bird" Ghanks 10 the New ThcaterJ, and once more the children had opportunity to york of real imagination, perhaps Of too adult an appeal wholly to satlsfy them, but certanly something to be thankful for How they focked it, And how they Hooked "Hanse and Gretel' u the opera house. and MarceIne at the IIippodrome These have been but rare eases, however in desert of adult drama We have not cared for the kiddes on our stage.
 And why should we" perhaps the managers ask
 If one has to ask the question, is which understand We should. of course. just because they ABE kIddies because Tn those sensitive, ripeninE yedrs the dramatic in stinct is strongest them, and consequently the potent weapon for developing their magina tous; because the theater, rightly conducted. gives them innocent wholesome pleasure; because. for the heater.s own good de,-elons in them a love for Yl and makes them better theatergoerS in the years |" 
 No one familiar with children be told of their instinctive dramatic their love of pretending" That is Natures way of developing the imagination After-life schools and dsciplines the imagination. but cannot create it. No one familiar with educational processes needs to he told that this instinctve dramatic sense is one of the most effective educational weapons
 Germany. far in advance of us in most edu- CatiOnal matters and much more careful and tender of childhood. always, out of mere uncon- cous love children. supported the juvenile play house. Even stoid London has it's Christmas pantomimes tsOrry enough affairs though they often be- and its annual revival of Peter Pan" But have left the whole matter to chance, and, chance being represented by the Broadway agers. have suffered accordingly. Now there signs of change, With the breaking up of the old monopoly in playhouse, with the estab- hshnent Q! stock companies ln the smaller clueS with the the managerial field of such men as Winthrop Ames. the theater promises to he come m spots al least more domestic estapLsh- ment mnistering to the whole community it should the children less than the adults.
 Some few weeks probably, before this article appears print, Winthrop Ames will have begun his matinee performances for children the Little Theater in New York the beautiful tiny playhouse which began it's career last spring with a flawless production Galsworthy's ironic comedy, The Pigeon It is MT Ames' intention make imaginative appeal both pictorialy and dramat- icaly in his chidrens plays. The opening play is founded Cirnms Snow White" and old friends. the seven dWarfs the wicked stepmOther the gallant Prince Charming and many more, all setting nery-that is. il aims at quaint, fanciful effect reality, and there songs and dances, the music composed by who has been successful in writing children. MT AneS announced his intention of doing Children's plays when he first TOunced his plan of Little Theater, but it is interesting to note also that he has received many letters from youngsters who his production of The Blue Bird" begging him please do fairy story for this winter"