Evening star., 1918-03-31

hesitate to make. His opinion on the
theater. therefore. should be Of inter-
est.
He introduced Stephen Phillips to,
production of "Herod" He was the
hrst to bring Edward knoblauch to at
tention with The Faun." He presented
Echegaray's THE World and His Wife"
and made notable revivals of Shake
speare's Julius Caesar Romeo and
Juliet" and "Othelio." He staged de
Croisett's THE Hawk" and brought
success to Bernard Shaw's Getting
Married" and "Misalliance." two plays
NO other American producer would
touch.
II cannot recall the time when 1 have
not been asked What's wrong with
when l first went on the stage l re-
member the old stagers were shaking
their heads-and this with Henry Irv-
ing at his prime. At the present mo-
ment the theater seems in bad way,
but it is mostly temporary condition
THE classics are disappearing from
the stage. A few years ago one might
see at least three or four Shakespear-
can seasons year in our large cities
Now there is nothing of moment done
with Shakespeare. 1t is not because
the public is not interested in Shake
speare. but it is not interested in the
way Shakespeare is treated. There will
always be audiences for great plays.
time is past when single actor can
spout Shakespeare supported by pitiful
gatherings of amateurs and old stagers
and attract public.
"The trouble with the theater is the
trouble with plays. The American
dramatist has his greatest chance at
the present moment when no plays are
coming to us from abroad. But OF the
recently. I found but few which had
any promise. and these had faults
which precluded the possibility OF pro-
duction.
81 am decidedly against propa gandist
theaters l have no interest or patience
with theaters with purpose when that
purpose is sheerly intellectual and dead
ening.' My theater must be alive. II it
teaches. well and good. but 1t must en-
tsrtain. and entertain in the right way
By stimulating Imagination. interest and
The Joy Of living. Then will the theafer
Be alive and vital"
The Parisian "Little Theater."-
Jacques Copeau's "Theater du Vieux
Oolombier takes its name from the
cid street in the Latin Quarter Of Paris
on which it was located-"the street
Of the old pigeon house" 1t is the most
recent of the many personal theaters
which, In France. are called dove
cotes." a name which finds it's prototype
in America as the little theater." 1t
does not undertake to revolutionize
either society or drama. but to reno
vate the modern theater through the
absence of commercinlism, the sup
preston OF elaborate "productions" and
the so-called star system" to the ad-
vantage of the general rendering Of tho
play. and the release Of the fervor and
of the spirit of the author. The aim
and ambition Of the Theater du vieux
Colombier" is to create a free and en-
tirely disinterested stage, devoted to
the masterpieces of the past. yet open
to modern writer's. 1t represents the
aspirations Of France OF today: 1t 10 {
fheater of the traditions, seeking te
rive new Interpretations to the great
classical repertoire.
Transplanted from Paris to New York
for at least the period Of the war. and
subsidized by a board Of directors, o,
which Otto H. Kahn is the active spir.
- IAcquas Copaan.S players hays bAAz