The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-10-27

Henry was proving that stage car
penter can have the soul Of an artist
Just like lawyer or an advertising
man. or an actress who turned Illus
traitor or an actor who turned trans
Edward Goodman continued 10. direct.
Elanor Cox. who Is BY way OF being
n writer. was called TO assist Goodman
as a reader Of plays because one OF the
things the Washington Square Players
quickly became long on WIS plays.
Everybody who ever wrote one-act
play sent II to the company.
Weeds Out Plays.
MISC Cox reads them, weeds out the
impossibles, and passes on the possibles
to n committee. The committee makes
Its recommendations. and then Good
man and Miss Cox go over them again.
There also came to the players. after
their organization, Dudley Tucker. who
inherited the American Book Company
and whole bunch OF business sagacity.
and who undertook the business man
agemept OF the company.
y This season the Players leased the
Comedy Theater-a real Broadway
house. They have been doing the Tme
sort OF thing they did I'm the Boni
Brothers book shop that first night.
Only. of course, they now have whole
lot more experience; aud are real actors
and actresses In the highest sense OF
that much abused word.
And II was because OF the number OF
people who came to see them play ana
who so frankly enjoyed everything they
saw. that the Washington Square
Players decided to try another expert
ment--which Is what brings this story
right down to date aud points II di-
rectly at the Belasco Theater's efforts
OF next week.
A. Nl,aV 10 In,
York who liked to see good plays well
produced for the purpose OF amusing
and for no other purpose-plays that
were produced In an original way with
proper settings. etc.-it was thought
there might be just as large proper
ton of people In other cities of the
| country,
And so the Washington Square
| Players are coming here next week ia
| find out what Washington thinks about
| II. They are going to Philadelphia, 10
| Buffalo, to Cleveland. 10 Detroit. to To-
ledo. to Ann Arbor. 10 Chicago. and
perhaps. even to Boston for the same
purpose! Their idea Is just this:
will Become Institution.
n these cities really like the way
the Washington Square Players dc
things and really want to support that
sort OF an undertaking-and all the sup.
port they want IL "A guarantee Of expenses
~ the undertaking. with enough fol
the actors to live on under tho recently
heightened cost of cqcec In Childs 4
| they will make tho Washington Square
| Players a national institution by divid-
ing the company In half One-half will
be In New York producing season Of
| twenty new one-act plays Or there.
abouts. and the other half will be on
| the road playing the best of the twenty
| or thereabouts. one-act plays which II
produced In New York the season be-
| fore These halves will take turns on
| the road and New York season and
| season about.
The company L. n professional com
| pany. because a number of professional
| people have been attracted TO II for tho
| unique experience they get. not TO men
| ton the So per week And the com
pany Welcomes these people and lets
| them play buffers or footmcn or lead
ing partH-Just az II thinks they hrC
| suited TO play them, II Is purely Il
matter of fltncss and ability that gets
n person part in II Washington Square
| production.
The names OF the people who have
| been mentioned are only some OF those
who form the company now or wh'
helped to organize II or have played
| with IL since Its organization.
| Ruby Craven. who was one Of Gran
vile Barker's players in his New fori
productions and later was IN the origi
nal New York showing OF Common
| Clay" Ii a member OF the company
Resale Matthew. VINO If "A painter b.
trade. Is another. George Some. whC
solicited advertising. IL a player.
! Likewise there IL n Washington con
tribution 20 the artistic cnsemble-lrv
ing III. Freedman-who was graduated
from the Central High School into beinl
a magazine writer, and then became al
actor with this company. Other mem
bers OF the company are Marjorie Deem
Dana Desborough. Edward D'Oize