New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-18
THE REPERTORY
THEATRES VALUE

Fo- the last lustrum or so il has been
the plessart custom Of various roper
tory companies from the provinces 10
visit what Americans call the big
smoke" in order 10 present plays-not
,yactlv great successes in the custom
arv theatrical sense, which means long
runs. but thoughtful, interesting dra-
mas. PRODUCED entirely outside our
popular acting arrangements. How
worthy Of accompli Is such
rrojec. has been shown IN past years
BIZ Miss Forniman and her dlstln-
guished company from Manchester.
Their discovery Of Stanley Houghton
was an eloquent proof OF the immense
gain that NAV accrue TO the stage by
lie local encouragement Of a local play
wright. though the lamented young au-
thor was much more than that. MISS
Forninar's place this year seems 10
have been taken by the Liverpool Rep
c,tory Company, founded some three
and a hall years ago by number OF
| local enthusiasts, and now, as we re
] Gently pointed out in special inter
view. working on commonwealth prln-
ciples 2, The Kingsway. Then there IS
he DELIGHTFUL Abbey Theatre Company,
from Dublin, at the Little, with plays
that fascirate and amuse, and at the
same time realize the Irish atmosphere
Of fatefulness and romance. II Will be
eeen. therefore, that London. even IN
war time. is not to be without the
stimulating influence of what may truly
be termed the art theatre. There IS
plenty o. room for II in this great CITY
Of urs-plenty of room for any gulld
Of workers devoted to producing the
best results IN the art of stage repre-
Sentatlon Plays convince the listener
the more readily when the actor or
actress. influenced by the ethical SIDE
Of the theatre, is keen IN subordlnating
personal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 10 the perfec-
ton of the whole; when inspiration
rather than academic tradition is the
guiding force; when each player is IN
trammelled by theatrical ruts. But
though no personal or Interior consid-
erauons can be allowed to lntrude ana
warp the judgment Of the actor, yet
, this does not prevent the cultivation OF
the spirit Of vigorous emulation or
, healthy ambition among repertory the
atre companies. with whom the literary
merit the permanent worth OF the play,
must ALWAYS be a matter of first i'm
por,ance
II is the function Of the art or
repertory theatre 10 realize life IN its
every phase, and when a lecturer on
the stage impressed upon an audience
Of American students the truism that
srsma should be pulsatlng with hfe as
each section Of society knows 1t, he was
met BY the protest: Then we have only
. 90 out into the streets, into the
shotels, into the shops or into the mar
sKets, and. writing down what we see
and hear, make IT up into play;
Why should We 90 into theatres and
SIT up till y o'clock at night II the
stage mas nothing to tell US but what
We can see for ourselves by daylight
and in fresh air? II the theatre Is 70
be the mirror of the externals of life
well, we can all use our eyes and
ears The students were told: You
Will get merely a more or less inter
estlng catalogue of facts; but the ma
teral must be selected, and shaped
and transformed by the imagination
into something rich and strange, and
then the drama VIII be truly alive; IL
VIII be literature II Is on such ar
lusuc foundations as these that we
get the thoughtful literary play, and
the dramatiSt Of the repertory stage
makes the realization of great truths
easier by his disposition and arrange
mentS of facts; he chooses out episodes
remarkable in their effect, and weaves
them together In united whole. In
word he is working in the deeper
grooves Of truth and assisting the
sss>ss Of the germs Of artistic endow-