New-York tribune., 1912-01-14
THE ''STOCK' PROBLEM
Oliver MoroSCo Tells How He
Makes a Stock Theatre Pay
in California.


Like a fly buzzng against the window
pane in a vain but persistent effort to reach
the outer light the thoughts of many the
atre people in New York hover against the
stock company idea in the hope that in
some way the barriers that keep them from
carving il out will fall. Although the
legend regarding stock companies. in TINS
city reads that their era has passed. they
are no longer possible. there is always
enough live interest in the problem here to
make II worth while TO follow up successful
stock company ventures elsewhere and see
how success has been attained.
Out of the West, whence have come oe-
fore this many persons who seem able to DC,
with a turn of the hand the thing when
cannot be done here, has appeared Oliver
Morosco, with his company, from Los Ange-
les. and his production of Richard Walton
Tulys Hawaiian play, 'The Bird OF Para
disc" Mr.. Morosco has four theatres IN
Los Angeles, two of them stock theatres
one, the Burbank Theatre, is his faVorlte'
and in that he has developed his own IDEAS
of how a stock theatre should be run.
One of the most striking differences be-
tween this Los Angeles Theatre and every
other stock theatre in this country Is that
the bill is not changed weekly, as is done
universally elsewhere. A play is allowed to
run as long as there is live interest IN II
on the part of the public. Sometimes this
policy gives production run of as much
as eight weeks, which is long one Tor
city of less than 100000 inhabitants.
Another difference from the usual is that
whereas the company is stock, there is no
stock scenery. Every play put on is built
new from the ground UP. If some draperies
or other properties are used a second time
they are so treated or combined that they
are not recognizable to an audience which
has seen them before.
"a third point that I consider extremely
important" said Mr. Morosco in detailed
explanation of his method, as that instead
of having one leading man, one leadipG
woman and so on, with few understudies
10 nut in wherever needed. as is usual. |
have never less than three leading men,
three leading women, a number of 'charac-
ter actors and several for each type of inn
portant role OF the three leading men, one
is a light actor of the young hero type, one
a heavier man for the strong, serious roles
and another a vivaCious, snappy fellow for
the quick-acting parts. Among the women
there is also a difference one is serious,
emotional: another a graduated ingenue OF
the Billie Burke kind and so on right
through. At the Burbank Theatre my com
pany is twenty-seven strong, at the other
theatre twenty-five.
"I make a special point of the kind OF
plays 1 produce and the atmosphere IN
which set them. l am firm believer in
giving audiences what they want, and as
nearly as l can plumb the mystery they
want pleasant plays or course, l do not
mean that they want only comedies.
merely feel that they do not like to wallow
IN sordid scenes. ugly misery and degrada-
ton. Horrible, repulsive deaths never rep
resent on the stage. II a character has to
die. why die he must but it can be done
beautifully as we'll as wretchedly. Luana
dies in The Bird Of Paradise but beauti-
fully. so that It does not torment you to
watch the scene
You see I regard the theatre as
place of entertainment and my idea Of
theatrical entertainment is contained in
genuine human nature play with a theme
and setting of present-day interest
Frankly have no use for Shakespeare
l occasionally produce a few Of his plays
when It is intimated to me that my audi
ences want them They can always have
anything they want. That is part of my
theory in conducting a stock theatre. But
IL IL were merely TO please me l should
never put on any Shakespeare at all. To
me he has no present-day interest what
ever That neither his plays nor the way
they are acted are in tune with these times
is easily enough seen when account Is
taken Of the fact that no Shakespeare
play can draw unless the public supports
II for the sake of the stars who appear
in it.
"One of the mistakes of The New Thea
tire in New York was that II tried to edu-
cate the public to support plays 1t dld
not like simply because these plays were
good for them. Among them were
shakespearian plays. and morose, sullen
and gloomy pieces like The Niger
which is enough 10 give one the blues for
a week
II am not denying that my sense Of
artistic values may be undeveoped. After
ALL that is not. in this particular case. the
point al issue. What is important is that
] am conducting a hrSt-class stock thea
tire I'm Los Angeles and one which is con-
tinually well patronzed by people of the
best education and taste. Every winter.
in addition 10 the regular townspeople,
there are about 10000 visitors from East
erh cities who go to Los Angeles to live
in peace among orange groves and in
flower gardens instead Of shivering their
lives away in this none too attractive eli
mate here. SO you see the calibre Of
audience the theatre must attract. That
the Burbank Theatre is a remarkably sue
cessfui venture, then. in q measure
answers the question as 30 whether my
views concerning what the majority of
persons like arc right or wrong.
Understand. that n | am not n loyal
patron Of the artistic and poetic drama Of
the old school or OF the classic school, 7
am distinctly an enthusiast about the
poetic drama Of to-day No one is more
anxious than 70 hnd and 10 produce the
most gentle poetic and BEAUTIFUL plays