New-York tribune., 1915-12-19
Rv GEORGE s. KAUFMAN.

The mind Of man has been drama
tized. And a woman has done H. Pos-
sibly il is less strange for a woman TO
do IL than man. Possibly IL doesn't
matter one way or the other The point
is that il has been done
Miss Edith Ellis. the dramatist in
question, does not know what is gong
70 happen TO her as a result OF her eX-
pertinent. She believes II possible that
she will be hailed as the inventor OF
new dramatic method and field. She
also believes 10 possible that she won I
be. But next week "The Devils Car
den" will be produced before the criti..
cal. and then there will be an end OF
this suspense Miss Ellis has drama
tized MAxwelrs novel. but she has done
u in her own way. In two acts she mas
disposed OF Maxwells story, and she
has practically laid the remaining two
acts In the mind Of the chief character.
"A play divided squarely IN the
middle-that is The Devils Garden,
said Miss Ellis. 81 suppose that on the
morning after the production | snail
have 10 read some rather harsh re
marks in the newspapers. ! am qulte
willing 70 admit In advance that my
play Is a technical freak. For two acts
the action Is entirely physical, and then
il chops right oR-just like that. The
last two acts show the inner spiritual
man, and during these acts the action
is entirely psychological.
81 have become thoroughly engrossed
in this play-more so than in any other
that | have written. ! read MaxwelPs
novel through in seven hours, and what
eripped me and appealed most TO my
dramatic sense were the mental proc
esses of the hero The physical ac-
tion Of the play is unimportant: 1t is
story such as might be found IN any
melodrama.
Because the appeal of the book is
chiefly spiritual, instead of physical, !
WAS told on all sides that the story
could not be successfully dramatized.
Well, perhaps it can't. have tired H.
30 some respects IL is absolutely new
Kind Of play. and in at least one respect
IL is very old. That one respect has 10
40 with the soliloquy.
.Yes have brought back the So
iiloouv in The DEVILS Garden, and |
suppose / shall be well roasted for DO,
M 30. Ii is a convention that should
never have been discarded. for there
cannot be truly great drama without H.
The tendency of the modern drama Is 10
he technically perfect and TO pay no at.
tention at all 10 the spiritual slde OF
life IL is impossible 20 cater 70 both
az technique is understood to-day. Oh-
der the present conditions an audience
can learn only as much Of a mans soul
as he can expose in the presence OF
others. An audience Is thus roboed OF
the great spiritual moments, and with
out them there cannot be great play.
"France knows the value OF the So
Uoouy, for there II has never oeeh
discarded. Here the managers nave
ruled out the soliloquy, but permit wha'
are known as dumb-show conversauohs'
during which one group of persons taIK
ON the stage in the presence OF an
other group that Is not supposed 70
hear them. The actor should know no
obstacles: he should feel that he Is at
.;bertv 10 express what comes to him
and 10 know that he will be under
stood. Understand. / am not pleading
FOR the soliloquy for its own sake, nor
arging il as mere dramatic con-
venience. But if great drama is de-
sired the soliloquy must be accepted.
= is only when he is alone that man
can open his soul.
"In nv opinion. the function of
olay is TO furnish opportunities for
scting. and don't think anything else
matters greatly. I think that the art
of the theatre would continue TO ad-
vance even if not a single new play
we're presented in the next ten years.
" VIC could only encourage the actors
10 do new thingsl The play should
give the actor the opportunity to ere
ate the thing that he does, TO become a
really great element in the drama.
There is a tendency to-day TO play
up the playwright and the producer