The Washington times., 1914-10-18
There Is No Certain Actor or
Actress, No Certain Play
wright, on Whom He De-
ponds for Success.

and, though even he thought Ollver
was a little bit irresponsible. he
geles and opened that theater with
a first-class attraction done by a
first-class company for the very first
time in it's history. This was Sep
TENDER IA, 1899. just fifteen years
ago. The Burbank Theater has been
open ever since that day. and it has
acquired a reputation that extends
all the way around the world.
Morosco and Frawley divided $1,000
weeks of the Burbank's career I'M
der the new management. During
that time Morosco had let Frawley
run the theater while he collected
the company that he intended to use
in carrying out his original idea. At
the end Of eight weeks he was almost
ready. He played one or two travel
ing attractions. and then started in
with his own work. 1t must be borne
in mind that Oliver Morosco had
been born in the amusement bust
ness. He knew plays and players.
He could play a part himself II
necessary. In addition to this he
had broad general understanding
of people as people. He knew the
world not only for its face value. but
for what it really was. He had hui
UidHity HuUiDcI, IL we may use Tic
phrase. He called for plays-he
didn't care who wrote them. He
wanted rea! plays. And he got them.
His habit is to take a play, read it
carefully, make such changes In it as
his experience demonstrates Is neces-
sary. and then turn it over to one
of his two stock companies. He has
his own ideas as to how that play
should be acted He employs people
h. L., OF Nd hn oil n
ideas as to how it should be done.
He casts each play himself. and he
gives each part to the person he
believes is best fitted by tempera-
ment ability, looks, and experience
to play that part Then he encour-
ages that person to play the part
exactly as it appeals to the actor or
actress. When a demonstration Of
what the actors think about 1t is
given. Morosco then tells them how
he thinks it should be played II their
ideas differ. and they get together
on a compromise.
Watches the Audience.
When the play is produced Mo-
rosco sits in the audience and
watches the audience. He asks ques-
tons of his patrons. He gets as
absolute a line on how the public
wants the play as he can, and If this
differs from the way the play is
played, there is another compromise.
1t takes MorosCos companies sew
eral weeks to get a play going ex-
actly as they want it. when this Is
done-the play is really the thing
that catches the fancy of K''' Pop
ulace-because 1t was built carefully
and painstakingly to do SO. The Mo-
rosco methods arc entirely differ
ent from the methods of any other
producing manager. There are alb
solutely no traditions in the Mo-
rosco menage except the one tradi-
ton of permanent and lasting sue
cess.
There is no certain actor or &C
tress. no certain playwright on whom
he dependsffor success Nobody with
a thimbleful of ability can fail to get
a lob with Morosco and get fair
trial Nobody with play that has
a single situation that would appeal
can fail to get reading. .'iorosco
defies every tradition. He has two
companies at the Burbank Iheater.
He has five other theaters In Cali
fornia and has intimate relations
with perhaps a dozen others on the
Pacific coast. and every man and
woman who works for or with him
loves him like a brother. He has
ter and produced the biggest success
ever seen there, right under the
noses of the wise old managers who
declared they knew all about the
theatrical business and that nobody
could beat them. Peg . My Heart
played in New York longer than any
other play ever played there. The
Bird of Paradise" played another
memorable engagement, and there
are other MOrosco productions com
ing East The productions come. and
Morosco comes long enough to see
that they are started and then hikes
back to the coast. There, he says.
he has his plant"
Something in Name.
And come to think of it. there is
something In the name of that plant.
In view of other things that have
happened, 1t isn't so odd that the
granting of a new Idea on the
healthy old stalk of public esteem
should result in bloom OF the
rosest sort Of success under The
name Of Burbank OF course. you
understand. 1t was Morosco that did
1.-THE Morosco that hikes back to
the Pacific coast. and causes us to
hike; back to our opening sentence,
to duck those laurel wreaths that
proclaim him the most human OF all
producers Of entertainment. He feels
that he can stand the exotic zephyrs
Of success in the section OF the coun-
try where everything is exotic. but
in New York he fears there will be
too much ordinary carbon dioxide
In the atnnoSphero,