The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-10-05
Dramatic News
And Comment

Almost everyone has written q play.
Many have imbtbed strange actions Of
| the profitable nature OF this occupe ton
! from the great success and huge reve-
| nues few plavwrights have mace from
| It. The fact stu remains that over %
per cent OF the plays that md their way
| worthless, that over 90 per cent Of the
! plays that are finally accepted for pro-
duction fall fatly, yielding their authors
perhaps $500 or $500 on the average as a
return for what may have been year $
| work. and that OF the remaining 30 per
cent of the 100 per cent Of plays submit
ted, about one-third are merely nominal
successes from which the author Is lucky
TO get $4,000 $4,000.
Over against this IS the occasional
'fnockout." Up to the beginning OF the
present century the undispUted royalty
record for a play belonged to Hall Caine.
whose THE Christian" netted him $780,
600 from this country alone, besides what
he derived from the English. Australian
that time this figure has been exceeded
not more than once, though the two big
lah" and Joseph and Hts Brethren.
threaten 20 eclipse II totally. The for
mer play that theatrical experts be-
lieve will run for many seasons to come.
has Just begun It's third season the au-
thor being at least $3.50, 900 the richer by
reason OF its production. Joseph and
His Brethren" written in 1905. but not
produced until year ago, is as valuable
play now as when Il was written and
viii probably be as valuable ten years
hence This play, year Younger ihan nan
THE Garden OF Allah, has apparently
set out with the determination 10 equal
or exceed the high business records OF
its sister spectacle.
II was calculated that Mr.. Parker's
royalties from his various plays last sea
son brought him more than 100000. THIS
season. with the London production OF
Joseph and HIS brethren ana the pro,
''The Vicar OF Wakefield" this total
should be exceeded. a quarter of NIL
lion dollars in two years for mere play.
wright sounds like big money. doesn't III
But do the two things balance7 II
took Mr. Parker twenty years 10 learn 20
write successful plays, despite an excep,
tlonal equipment for the work; He bad
10 teach music in little English school
10 make ends meet until Rosemary
brought him enough money to satlsfy
him that. be could live by writing and
Very iow Of the few playwrights that
succeed do so right OF the reel The au-
thor OF a successful first play recently
Confessed that il really was his forty
ninth. The other forty eight had cost
him a small fortune IN return postage
A young man had la, TAR success Z, n ,n,s
teur.'' The play was the result OF six
years study In various universities thar
gave special dramatic courses. and year
changed the blu several times week
He had taken his job To fan,illar'ze him,
self with the pr3cucdl theatcI; anu bdI
been writing plays since his high school
DAYS, all OF which goes 10 prove that
successful playwrights are made, rather
than born. and that much promiseuouS
playwrighting is merely wasted effort.
Apropos of Forbes Robertson's knight
hood. BY which he is now correctly and
privately known as Sir Johnston though
he modestly dsdaIns 10 use his title for
business purposes. good story OF lrV,
Ing is recalled by the formers general
manager, Percy Burton. who was for
some years associated with Sir Henry
Finding that HIS title was being used
against his wish for publicity purposes.
Irving wrote direct TO the printers say
ing that IN future ne would Ike 10 be
known es simple Henry Irving. What
was his dismay on coming TO the next
town to find that tho printer had taken
him all too literally. and that the posters
on tho boardiDgs bore the strange device
OF Simple Henry Irving. Such catns-
trophe !s hardly likely TO happen in the
case of Sir Johnston Forbes Robert
son.