New-York tribune., 1917-07-08
Bv PITTS SANBORN

w + LIVE IN century oi iao''al
w theatrical reform. The names
Of Reinhardt, Of Appia, of Gordon
Craig, arc as familiar to our ears to-
6ay as those of David Belasco. Henry
w. Savage and Daniel Frohman were IN
the late nineties. The world war has
interrupted the revolution only in part.
In fact. it is since the war began tha.
in America theatrical reform has re-
ceived its most vital impulse through
the little theatre movement And,
curiously, it is war that has now in
duced to visit our shores the latest
European prophet of reform. He is
jacques Copeau, a Frenchman, come
here TO direct the further destinies OF
the Theatre Franqais of New York.
Not so many years ago the advanced
theatrical manager of Paris was An
toine. His eminently uncomfortable
rlaynouse in the Boulevard Sebastop0l
aceomplished work that in its day was
revolutionary. Then the French gov
ernmen. took up Antoine and made
him director Of that younger Comedie
Francaise, the Odeon. The revolution
subsidized into officialdom. War closed
the Odeon, and to-day Antoine is de-
scribed as starving in garret Al
though the work still went on at the
Theatre de pOenure, at the Theatre
Libre and at the Theatre des Arts, 1t
really remained for Jacques Copeau, az
the Theatre du Vieux Colombier, to
carry higher the torch OF dramatic art
This theatre Of the Old Dove Cote,
almost under the shadow Of ST. Sulpice,
Jacques Copeau, who had been man
of letters rather than an actor, opened
only eight months before war COM
pelled him TO close Il. In those eight
months he got it pretty dizzily we'll up
on the heights Of fame, not only in
Paris, but through performances by
the company in London and in Rome.
What he will 90 for America remains
70 be disclosed. Meantime, NJ. Copeau
stands as the most advanced figure to-
day in the race for theatrical renova-
tion.
The first article OF NJ. Copeau's
theatrical creed Is perhaps the last
one would mention offhand, and yet, as
a matter Of fact, 1t is the most OBJ
vious. Appia and Craig have all been
preoccupied with the scenic element,
AZ times even with the mechanical
side of theatrical equipment. NJ. Co.
peau. who is certainly friend Of Ap
pia and Craig and a student OF their
work, nevertheless throws the emphasis
elsewhere. For him there Is first OF
all the company.
". Copeaus ideal Of that is singu-
lsrly simple, but not In the telling. II
Is as simple as life, but hardly less
easy 70 define and describe. However
since before the play the company with
him is the thing. let us see as nearly
as We may what he means by COM
pany
Briefly, VI. Copcau's company would
be like the associations OF players
that acted in England in Shakespeare
time, in France in Moliere's-for ex-
ample, the particular companies Of
those two playwrights. As NJ. Copeau
views such a company. il is family
There must first Of all be a special
sympathy among its members and a
total absence Of what the French in
theatrical slang term "cabotinage
that is, an absence Of all jealousies, az.
feetations, the vanities, the cheap de-
vices 20 attract attention. the laziness
the boastfulness and every other petit
ness and foible that popular supersti'
fion may have attributed 10 the theat'
riesl profession Individually and er
masse.
The scheme sounds Ike a projec'
for human perfectablity. Perhaps th'
thing can be done. At any rate, here
are some Of the ways ". Copeau sets
about IL.
lie takes his actors young (he would
start with children, but Of that anon
and ne tries them out for while in
the community life. Those that show
,yrnptoms of "esbotinage" 20. The rest
stay. Then they learn ~ live into