The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-24

finest of all German theatres and the finest peoples theatre in the world It is the achievement of an organization known as the New Free Peoples stage. The New Free Peoples stage has solved success fully the problem of presenting to work ing men at terms accessible to the poor est the best drama and the best music And that not merely by organizing plays and operatic performances for workmen That has been done before; and it has seldom flourished because most peoples theatres organized by the rich and well educated are artificial playthings not in touch with working class life. The New Free Peoples stage has induced work men to make their own theatre; to pay for their own theatre: and to be Jealous for their own theatre. After "A years experiment it has proved that the work ing man, when given a lead, is as keen for good dramatic art as are the best educated classes in the empire.
 The New Free Peoples stage Is theatrical society organized and run on principles of pure co-operation It is the achievement of the taltnted writer, Dr. Bruno Willie, of the late novelist and translator, Dr. Josef Ettlnger. the scien- tist pr. Wilhelm Boelsche, and the dl-. rector of the Leasing theatre, pr. Otto Bra nm. Bruno Willie was the initiator His plan was to engage on Sunday aft ernoons when they are free, the best Berlin theatres; to enlist the aid, as far as possible unpaid. of managers and ac- tcrs; and to give cheap performances, meeting the cost by working class fund on cooperative lines. At that time Der lin had no good class working man stage and people laughted at Wille; and said that the flaw in his plan was the workman himself, who did not want a good stage. To disprove this, Willie or ganized popular representation of Isben Even to the educated Ibsen was then caviare. The theatre was crowded with working men and women. who were charged 12 cents each for their seats. Ex- penses were covered, and the experiment was a complete success.
 The result was the organization known as the "Freie Vclksbuhne." or Free Peo- ple's stage. the ancestor of the present New Free Peoples stage. The Free Peo- ple's stage proved thcat it could fill five or six theatres at the same time with working class audiences and that. as suming some volunteer aid by profession als. it could cover expenses by charging a pere 12 cents seat Afterwards the charge was raised to p cents. For this price. after paying a yearly membership fee of 20 cents. any workman or work woman could have a seat in any part of a theatre, and could see first class actors and singers in the finest works of German and foreign dramatic and mu- sical art. The Free Peoples stage was thus to be cooperative society which would sell seats only to members, and this is the basic idea today.
 The present New Free Peoples Stage arose as result of a secession from the Free Peoples Stage. The secession was causd by politics. The Free Peo- ples Stage went in largely for ad- vanoed dramatic art and Berlins police began to regard it with suspicion as a semi-socialist proragandist organiza- tion. The police declared that it was not theatrical society, but an or ganization with political and social aims, and under this pretext they sub tected it to political censorship and treated it's performances as political meetings. The socialists. in fact. did try to capture the society, and as Der lins working men are mostly social ists. the attempt nearly succeeded further attempt was made in the name of characterization to take the tech nical and artistic directorate out of the hands of the professional experts