The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1914-12-20
Why Playwright Is Never
Spelled Write
By GARDNER MACK.

DY SARD
While il docs not take a very high
ae-rcc of culture 10 send truth wing
tng to the far corners of an audi
torium from a point Of vantage be-
bind n lecturers reading desk. only
the greatest of skill and sincerity
can hope TO accomplish the Same
purpose from behind a rampant
formed by an imposing Hungarian
Eouiash ct a club luncheon table.
The members of the Washington
center Of the Drama League can
testify to Clayton Hamilton's audi
forum ability and it has been left
Tor me TO bear witness to the serv-
ing Of playwr, Shting truths garnish-
ed with Soulash or goulash garn-
tFhed with playwriting truth, which
ever way one wants TO read il. Mr..
hamilton came here as the guest of
the Drama League to tell the local
members what constituted a play.
And the occasion was seized during
tho visit to ask HIM some pertinent
questions for the benefit OF the read
crs Of these pages regarding the
plays and players and the where
fore Of each. The reason for this
picking on Mr.. Hamilton is that he
admits half the guilt in writing one
seasonal Llay that started out as
Wanted so, 90" VIII CHI even the
playwr Ehts considered a bit too
raw and changed to THE Big Idea"
A person who wishes to misconstrue
the motive behind the titles can help
himself-both are more or less sig
nificant of playwrighting purpose
nowadays.
Those persons who will insist that
they have never heard of Mr. Ham
ilton as a playwright until this year,
want to remember that while he is
playwright from choice. he is COM
PEELED to eat by necessity, and that
in order to provide himself with
supply of food TO sustain him on his
explorations into playTrighting, it
has been necessary for MIN to de-
vote most of his time to writing
scholarly books and magazine arti-
cles about the drama the time he Is
not lecturing to college classes on
the drama and literature, and that
least familiar of all our national ne
cessities, the English language.
Intimacy of a Goulash.
While the amount OF real inror-
nation to be gained from one of his
lectures is unusual and refreshing.
IL does not compare with the en-
him and sharing with him the in
tfmacy OF a goulash. Not being
skilled in the art of stenography
II would be unfair TO Mr.. Hamilton
10 quote the Impressions he gives
as statements or conclusions OF his
own drawing. He gives an excep-
Jionally clear idea. however, of why
playwright is spelled thus, and not
write" and yet loses no dignity
IN the transformation from a sug-
Eestion of mental to physical labor.
Playwrighting is a business of f1ne
adjustment, of carefully balancing
verbal statement OF an idea with
physical action to the end that q
complete story might be told by the
coordination OF the two. The writ
ing of a play Is not the part that
requires the work. 1t is the wright
lnE Of II
Shakespeare, he believes, was a
playwright before he was a writer.
some time ago in these columns it
was dm!dly limited as my own idea
that Shakespeare entrance TO the
business of writing came in much
the same way as Mr.. Belasop's en-
trance to She playwrighting game.
Shakespeare was a stage manager,
and he was given plays 10 produce
that were just as unproduceabIe as
plays are today. And he took an
old story-Perhaps the story OF the
pldN given MIN 10 proQuCe-anQ Tnaoo
q play OF il that suited him and Mt
ted the necessities Of the moment.
Why Shakespeare Wrote Hamlet.
Mr.. Hamilton goes even farther
:han that. He told the Drama
League that Shakespeare never
wrote 4 play to be printed and never
printed g play except when some
one else had printed corrupt YER
SION of IL and he was forced to set
forth his own version in type in self
defense. He reminded me, at the
lunch table, that Shakespeare wrote
plays to meet popular demand. and
an instance In point, that the
rHmpeting theatcr in London pro
4gced z Spanish play in which a
the- plans to avenEe the murder
s' mis- son. Shakespeare thereupon
fcli called upon to produce a play
dealing with this theme, and, re-