The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1915-02-06
David BelascO IhrOlUs
His Light on 'Me.O' Idea
For Staging of Plays

The FIRST great change in color came
with Henry Irvings productions. II
was Irving who gave the stage It's
shadows. lie had . keen sense OF
color. Fortunately. the artists OF
England gave him their aid. This
Ut 'Cortolanus' that I saw ut the Ly-
ccum Theatre In London. In the
darkened auditorium sat Alma Ia.
dema, and at ono point he Jumped
up TO say;. "A bit dry there--a trihe
gray-lcts have . splash OF redP
without a word OF argument Irving
snatched q red robe from the Shout
ders OF a super and hung II on the
stops OF the Forum. The effect was
striking"
Mr.. Beiosco ciappcd his hands at
the picture he stfll saw In his eye,
and then brought himself back with;
Scenery and costumes come Sec
ond with me. lighting first. Along
fantastic lines. OF course, a producer
can 40 10 any extreme. But the play
that depends upon It's appeal to the
essentially human element In an
audience In quite another matter. In
such a play the lighting plays an i'm
portant part. Nature itself tells us
that love Of the romantic sort sug-
gssts twilight or moonlight. Poets
have been singing this for ages. Wa
all know. too, that gaiety and joN
ousness are beat expressed In sun.
light or the brilliantly illuminated
ballroom. We also know that the
thief and the murderer seek the
shadows Of night. that tho sick cham
Der has IT, subdued light, and 20 on.
In other words. lights reflect various
emotions. Scenery. after all. means
very little. II n largely . matter Of
common sense. For example. the
| greatest OF modern dramas, to my
mind, In The Second Mrs. Tanqueray,'
chiefly because Of Pinero's wonderful.
everyday sort Of dialogue. Well. now
how are You going to stage TT There's
only one way--it must be staged with
simple realism. Other plays may call
for other methods. blu. the demand In
always upon the imagination. Tho
real genius In the poet. the dreamer Of
! life, who appeals to your Imagination
with life ss he sees II. My one aim
In staging plays In TO stimulate the
imaRi nation. and I Ind can best do
this with the aid Of lights. A. for
the purely mechanical inventions, We
hear . great deal Of what has been
tries and forget. perhaps. some Of the
things that have been done hero. For
instance. the nrst double stage ever
heard Of was invented by Steele
Mackaye and operated successfully In
| tho old Madison Square Theatre. II
| seems to me there should be little
| praise for what's been done In this
country"
! ment worth echoing. don't you thinkS
| However, Mr.. Btlasco' instantly
switched hack TO lights.
when you turn on false lights" no
pointed out. you don't stimulate I'm.
agination. you distort reality. And
when you do that. you destroy iliu-
sion. With lights ! have tried 70 ore;
have attempted to bring everything
lie smiled at the suggestion that he
himself. In his clerical garb. was quite
| In harmony with the play when he
took his curtain call on the opening
night Of the play. and then for the
nrnt time, 10 fas as ! know. he told
how he had come to adopt . style of
dress that suggests the church rather
than the theatre. This II a good story
| and q new one:
when I was seven years old en-
tered q monastery"
''Wheref" Ensped.
"1n Victoria. Vancouver Island" he
answered. "Old Father Mcguire took
q friendly interest In me and asked
me "a live In the monastery. ] was
there four or ave years. and ] sup
pose II was the influence of this SOL
smn life that led me to adopt q sober
dress In later years. But most OF all
felt there was something dramatic
In that life within silent wallis"
And David Belasco II nothing II not
| Apa Nir