The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1917-08-16
DEMOCRACY
EXTENDS EVEN
TO THE STAGE
Russian Theaters Being
Established on Sclf-Gov-
LITERARY COM
MITTEE REFORMED
''Free Theatcr" Will Pro
duce Modern Plays at
Nominal Prices

Petrograd, Aug. 1.-(Correspond-
ence of The Associated Press).-
Russia's universal democratization
is embracing the former Imperial,
now state, theatres, which heretofore
have been governed automatically by
general director, who was nomi-
nee of the emperor and was subject
to the now abolished ministry of the
court. The last general director was
M. Teliakowsky who rendered con-
sidered artistic services to the stage,
but provoked complaints by his des-
potism and by the extravaganza with
which he expended the $1,500,000
state subsidy.
Feodor Golovin, liquidating COM
missary of the ministry of the court,
has issued an order establishing the
future direction of the state theatres
on a democratic basis. The theatres
are made self governing. The basic
principle is majority rule in artis-
tic, economic and social affairs by
councils elected by the artists, musi-
clans, employees and workmen.
The Office of general director of
state theatres is abolished, the direc-
tor being replaced by a plenipoten-
tiary commissary of the provisional
government, under whom, in each
theatre, will be a director elected by
the employees. Every theatre troupe
will elect its own artistic repertory
committee, which will decide what is
to be staged and how 1T is to be
staged, and will distribute roles.
Contemplate Reforms.
The existing theatre literary COM
mittees will be reformed and will
constitute part of the artistic roper
tory committees. Each literary COM
mittee will consist of three persons
who have accomplished something
notable in literary, dramatic or cri-
tical work The literary committees
will be obliged to read and present a
written report on every play or
opera submitted. This will reform
the existing abuse under which
many promising plays go unread be-
cause the author has no influence.
These reforms mean complete
theatre autonomy. The reformed
theatre will be run by it's staff. The
French Michailoff theatre of Petro-
grad which exists mainly for the re-
creation of diplomats, is excluded
from the reform. AS a large part of
it's employees are French, a special
law must be drafted for its govern
menC Inere is a SJrong QemOcratlc
agitation in favor of abolishing the
French theatre as costly and un-
necessary.
Not only the government stage is
being reformed. AS result of the
abolition of the censorship, forty-one
Petrograd factories and workshops
lately sent delegates to a congress.
which decided to found a great
Workmen's theatre on the lines OF
the Socialistic Peoples theatre Of DR..
Bruno Willie, in Berlin.
Another new foundation is the
Free theatre, which will produce for
working men at nominal prices the
comedies OF Ostrovslxy, the atmos-
phere dramas Of Anton Tchelhoff,
and the works of Wilde. Engel. An
dreveff, Shaw and other modern
dramatists. First rate artists from
state and private theatres have pros
missed to perform periodically with
out pay or for nominal remuneration
For the present the Free theatre will
be without its own building: and
performances will be held in success
sion in different factory buildings
and warehouses
"A renascence of the Russian dra-
ma on the principles Of the revolu-
tion is the next step In, our artistic
regeneration", says Maxim Gorky.