Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-25

Just previous, | had painstakingly worked
out for my own woman character. 1t was
too late to get back my character. His play
came out and proved big success-and my
character my work of months. was lost to
me through my own carelessness.
| might cite any number of ether similar
instances. both against myself and against
other plavwrights who have told me their
woes, all going to show the superlative value
of silence in the playwriting circle
ALTHOUGH to a very large degree the
prejudice against women in the field of
plavwriting is diving out. yet it is not to be
contradcted that this prejudice still exists in
some proportion. Indeed. only yesterday
it was a very visible. feeable thing. Whether
because of the fact that the particular play
wright happened to be a woman and thus
might the more easily be taken advantage
of Co times. O customsD or whether be-
cause of the substantiated and fundamental
fact that the spirit of plagiarism stalks
strong in numerous quarters OF the play
writing world, it has been my unpleasant
and very costly experience to suffer on
several occasions from the traps laid by
these crafty dramatic ghouls.
Three years ago | spent large part Of
six months working up the scenario of
play. the basic theme for which had come
suddenly to me. After my work on the
scenario. showed it to several friends, who
waXed enthusiastic over its possibilities, but
declared that the theme, SO far as current
dramatic taste was concerned, was "ahead
of the time BY "ahead OF the time, do
not wish to seem to infer that | had discov-
cred something Of amazing scientific inter
est or something equally and remarkably pro-
~ ,,,aa,cf Nv 1abaaI of tho
time" | Tor rather nv friends who used the
phrase) meant "in advance of what the
theatergoing public appeared to want to
see at the moment.
Feeling that the criticism offered by my
friends was well taken. abandoned the
idea OF spending six more months right then
working out the whole play and determined
to get to work on something else. A short
while afterward, however, some other
friends of mine, upon looking over the seem
ario of which | have spoken, urged me to
submit it to a playbroker agency, with a
view toward having the latter present 1t to
the managers This | finally did, with the
stipulation, however, that there was one
manager to whom did not wish the scenario
to be submitted.
We will now skip year and a half. lmag-
inc the shock | received at the end of that
time when, on going to the theater one night
| beheld play that was worked out in de-
tail almost precisely after the manner that
the details had been worked out in the seen
ario of my play. Although the relation
ships of the leading characters had been
changed, the general theme, the tricks of
evolution and presentation, the general evo
luton and ending of this play. were exactly
like the one outlined in the scenario.
Coincidence you say? Let me reply, my
dear, trusting, hopeful women playwriters,
that investigated and learned that my
scenario had been shown against my strict
orders to the producer Of this play, the one
man to whom did not wish to have it pre-
sented; that two items in the scenario were
sheer tricks of the theater one of which at
least had never been even vaguely suggested
in stage or shelf fiction. and that these
items 1.-THE other one of which provided. the
whole mechanical basis of the play were
used in toto, without a change, by the
author and producer Of the play; and that
the groundwork of the play and my scenario
were alike to the most trifling detail
7 AM fully aware Of the fact that the wolf
cry of Plagiarism" is common one in
the playwriting sphere, am fully aware that
on numerous occasions it may be unjust;
but | have learned this lesson we'll: That
often yery very often the cry of "Plaqiar-