Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-04-15
ORGANIZING THE AUDIENCE
What Emanuel Rechers Modern Stage" Is Trying to Do for
America-Its Berlin Prototype Where Ibsen and Shaw
Cost Worllngmen Quarter Performance.
By KENNETH MACGOWAN.

By hENNElH
TNHlRE are a great many flaws in the
L American theatre. There are great
many angles from which it's art and it's or
Gani2ation may be attacked, and justly at
tackled. Even the theatrical manager himself
can't be blamed for objcctng to the bank
ruptcy which threatens him more and more
each season. But tho fastdious playgoer,
facing high prices and rather unlntcrcsting
fare, has the simplest case. He doesn't get
the plays he wants and he has to pay for
those he never secs. The "lonE- run" theatre
can't cater to the man who would like a little
1bsen, SChnitZler Hauptmann or Wilde If
he Graves dramatic entertainment he must
be content with "[iCk In" and occasional
bursts of Shaw And when he pays so cents
to. 81 for a ticket to a popular success he is
also paying for two or three failures which
he may have been fortunate enough not to
see.
The Undemocratic Theatre
Moreover, there is something besides high
prices and unaskod-for plays to make the
most democratic of the arts undcmOcratiC.
The American audiences have no deliberate
participation either in the choosing of the
plays they see or the financing of their pro-
ductlon. Theirs is only very limited choice
of what some other people arrange for them.
Theirs is only the privilege of buying a pig
in poke.
This condition has been ended in Europe.
Tho playgoer of Berlin has been made re-
sponsible part of the theatre business. And
now man who was n considerable factor in
the rcadiustmcnt comes to Philadelphia Fri
day to demonstrate a similar project for
America. His name is Emanuel Rcicher, and
he will give three performances at the Little
Theatre of John Gabriel Borkman," he
has acted the play in New York for what
he calls THE Modern Stage"
The prototype of this organization began .
life in 1890 Through % years it has waxed
and waned, dsbanded and reorganized, until
the "Ncue Freie Volksbuehne," of Berlin is
now n great democratic society of $4,000
members, owning n new and beautiful the
atrc, where only the best and most inter
esting of classic and current plays are acted.
Max Relnhardt, Germnny's greatest theatre
director has crowned its success by accept
ing the management of the new playhouse.
Ibsen at Twenty-Five Cents
The distinction of this theatre is not that
its repertory includes the best, the oldest, the
newest, the most remarkable, of dramatic
literature. Its real distinction is that it gives
these plays at a cost to its patrons of n mark
(25 cents a performance, while it arranges
with dozen other theatres to admit its
members to special performances at the same
price. This is accomplished without finan-
cial deficit or bad acting.
The secret of the success of the Free Peo-
pies Theatre is it's organization. 1t has
members instead of an audience. These $4,000
people decide before the season begins that
they will subscribe the sum of 13 or IA marks
for IL or IA productions of certain character
OF plays. The director and committee of
management, as well as past performances"
ara the guarantee to the subscribers of the |
sort of plays to come, The subscription sys- |
tenn is a guarantee to the management OF |
full houses. on this basis the directors can
eliminate speculative wastes and cut the |
cost OF production to a minimum. There
are no failures" That is all
The Beginning
The Free Peoples Theatre began with pro- |
found modesty, We may study that begin
ming and that modesty at first hand in Eman-
uaI Reicher's "Modern Stage" Here is the !
statement of aims, on the basis of which he
solicited subscriptions to his season in New |
York:
First The performances win take place
once every month"; II possible on certain
evenings. in New York theatre containing
not more than 1900 seats The plays will
he performed in English.
Second. The repertory will be international
and each evening will be devoted to differ
ent author The plays VIII be such as nave
either not been presented in America at all
or only very seldom. Tolstoy, Ibsen, Haupt-
mann, Tchechow Courtlain, Hottmannsthal,
Rernard Shaw Schntzler Strindberg oscar
Wilde and Wedekind are among the writer's
whom have I'm mind
Third. The scenic presentation OF each
work win be simple but adequate and suit
able, The actors will be capable OF repre-
senting psychologically profound characters
and have enough enthusiasm 10 make some
sacrifices 10 the high artistic aim of the
enterprise.
Fourth. Subscribers only viii be admitted
TO the performances. Each subscriber may
apply for more tickets, but only for
all five performances, which viii take place
IN the months OF January, February. March,
April and May OF 1915.
Fifth. The price viii be g, g, and a.
Sixth. About 100 seats will be reserved for