Evening star., 1915-02-28
ring with mirth. He has set himself
firmly against both applause and

ring with mirth. He has set himself
firmly against both applause and
laughter.
When one of his comedies was being
acted in London he inserted q program
note reading:
Dear Sir or Madame: 1t is your
custom to receive my plays with the
most generous and unrestrained ap-
plause. You sometimes compel the
performers to pause at the end of
every line until your laughter has
quieted down. I am not ungrateful:
but may I ask you few questions?
Are you aware that you would get
out OF the theater half an hour earlier
if You listened to the play in silence
and did not applaud until the fall of
the curtain?
DO you really consider that a per-
formance is improved by continual in
terruptions, however complimentary
they may be to the actors and the
author?
DO you think that the naturalness
of the presentation must be destroyed,
and, therefore. your own pleasure
greatly diminished. when the audience
insists on taking part in it by shouts
of applause and laughter, and the
actors have repeatedly to stop acting
until the noise is over?
Have you considered that in all
good plays tears and laughter lie very
close together. and that it must be
very distressing to an actress who Is
trying to keep her imagination fixed
on pathetic emotions to hear bursts
of laughter breaking out at something
of which she is supposed to be un-
conscious?
DO you know that even when there
is no such conflict of comic and tragic
on the stage the strain OF performing
is greatly increased If the performers
have to attend to the audience as we'll
as to their parts at the same time?
Can you not imagine how play
which has been rehearsed to perfec-
ence must be upset. disjointed and
spun out to wearisome length by an
audience which refuses to enjoy it
silently?
loudly and repeatedly for two hours
you get tired and cross, and are sorry
next morning that you did not stay
home?
very nice when they smile or look
pleased, but look shockingly ugly
when they roar with laughter or shout
excitedly or sob loudly? Smiles make
no noise
will you think me very ungrateful
and unkind if I tell you that. though
you cannot possibly applaud my plays
too much at each fall Of the curtain
to please me. vet the moro applause
there is during the performance the
your enjoyment and my own?
DO you know that what pleases
actors and authors most Is not your
applauding them. but your coming to
see the play again and again?
do you know that my plays. as re-
hearsed, are just the right length that
is. quite as long as you can bear; and
that If you delay the performances by
loud laughter you will make them an
half hour too long?
Can I persuade you to let the per-
formance proceed in perfect silence Just
this once to see how you like It? The
intervals will give you no less than five
opportunities Of expressing your ap-
proval or disapproval. as the case may
be.
And finally. will you believe me to
be acting sincerely in your own inter-
ests in this matter as
Your faithful servant,
THE AUTHOR"
ISABELLE LOwE.-Miss Isabelle
Lowe. who comes to the New National
Theater for the first time in the role Of
June in "The Trail Of the Lonesome
Pine" is a Washington girl. who went
on the stage two years ago. and since
then has become a featured performer.
Polk and a great granddaughter of the
twice-elected war governor Of Mary
land. She attracted the attention of
the late B. D. Stevens, general manager
for Klaw & Erlanger. who considered
her an ideal type of the wild mountain
girl, judgment that has been Endorsed
by John nd Fox 5r; the nmthor Of the
matist of the play. Miss Lowe is
twenty-five years old and very at
Charles Phillips.