New-York tribune., 1918-05-04
Drama
Actors and Authors Plan to
Have a Theatre of
Their Own
By Haywood Broun

The newest dramatic movement in
New York is the Actors and Authors
Theatre. The organization is already
we'll on it's way, for it has acquired a
theatre and last night it gave a din
ner. According to the plan, the Ac-
tors and Authors Theatre will house
two plays concurrently. One will be
played at matinees and the other in
the evening. A number of well-known
players will take part in the enter
prise under the agreement that they
shall receive a part Of the possible
profits of the productions in which
they engage. The organization hopes
to get good plays, and recognized au-
thors will not be barred, but since the
cost of production will be kept low
under the cooperative plan it will be
possible to make experiments.
1t is probable that one-act plays will
be produced as well as longer ones.
Edward Milton Royle. who is presi-
the dinner last night that the Actors
and Authors Thetre did not intend to
do startling OR freakish things. The
theatre, he said, was not even aimed to
capture the cultured few. 1t would
provide, he hoped, an opportunity for
good actors who were resting in in
glorious ease on account of inability
to draw their regular salaries to play
with reasonable salary assured and
a larger one possible in the case of
success. He also believed that the
theatre would provide an opening to
some playwrights not yet before the
public The chief innovation contem
plated by the organization, the presi-
dent said, was to give 50 shows for 81.
Mr.. Royle then called upon several
critics present to offer advice, which
they did freely enough. Curiously, all
the critics took most cynical view of
the theatrical business. Without ex-
ception they advised Mr.. Royle that his
theatre would do well to charge 81 in
stead of 81. They advised him that
preferred to pay 81 rather than 81. To
the mind of the average theatregoer,
they insisted, price of 81 at the box
Office meant 81 show, regardless of
the quality of the production.
The authors and actors continued
idealists to the end and maintained
that the public would judge plays en-
tirely by their quality and not at all by
the price. They believed that large
number of persons had turned to the
moving pictures simply because of
.oWcI pIlCcS. 1lOWcVcI, uO Q6CISlOU
was reached on the matter of prices.
A good deal of encouragement was
held out to the new organization by a
speaker who detailed some of the plays
which the New Theatre had refused or
had failed to accept before they were
snapped up by other managers. Among
these were "The Passing of the Third
Floor Back" "Kismet," 'The Concert"
and "The Bird Of Paradise
1t is natural enough that q number
of patriotic war plays and moving pict-
ures should be put before the public at
this time. 1t is possible that some of
them may be useful, in spite of the
famboyancy and insincerity which
characterize many of the entertain
ments devised pell-mell for war audi
ences. But producers of war plays and
war pictures exceed their rights if
they insist that their entertainments
must be received without unfavorable
notice simply because they are patriotic
in trend.
The manager in charge of "Hearts of
the World" for instance, recently put a
notice in his lobby in which ne stated
(our authority is an article in "The
Morning Telegraph") that anybody who