New-York tribune., 1919-07-13
Reflections About
The Theatre N0,U
And Then
Increasing Number Of Good
actors Does Not Keep Pace
With Large Number of
additional Playhouses
By Louis Mann

Dy LOUIS Nldnn
There are better actors these days
than in times gone by, only the gen.
eral mass of theatregoers do not see
them. This is because there is so much
to Sec so many theatres as compared
to the theatre twenty years ago
Nearly every manager complains of
his inability to adequately cast his
plays. l don't know exactly the per-
centage of increase in theatre proper
ties to-day as against formerly-but
1T must be a least four to one-and so
to fill these theatres it requires some
manipulation on the part of the mana
ger. For, by reason of the demand for
actors, every "Screwdriver jenkins"
rushes madly to the stage as if it were
the simplest thing in the world to act.
Many come because Of the easy life it
affords them; others are truly earn
est, sincere and ambitious. Yet, woe
fully small percentage have any ability
for the stage.
The stage is the most highly paid of
all arts; that is probably the reason
why so many dullards seek refuge
there. There is no price so high that
the manager of to-day will not pay for
competence. Edwin Booth, Tomasso
Salvin, Mr.. and Mrs. W. ]. Florence.
John Z. Owens, Joseph jefferson all
had wonderfully fine casts when was
serving my apprenticeship. | recall
that the production of "Incog,' which
Charles Dickson starred, had as mem
bers Clara Lipman, Robert Edeson,
Harry Davenport, Ellen Berg and my
humble self; we came into New York
with not one so called name" among
all the cast, yet, we were instantly ac-
cepted.
When Oscar Wilde's first play had
its premiere at the Union Square The
atre, in which | had the privilege of
appearing, nearly all the members of
that company had been with Edwin
Booth the previous season, and none
save Lewis Morrison and Marie Pres
cott had any reputation as actors. yet
they all scored, though the play was a
failure. Oscar Wilde, who had seen
these actors with Mr. Booth, put his
seal of approval upon them, though
they had been playing small parts
Now I cannot see why the manager
Of to-day cannot have sufficient vision
to find embryonic talent. and like
Wilde, take a chance 1t would be
easy of course, to say that the play
failed because Wilde did take a chance
but the fact that his other plays are
from time to time being produced is
proof positive that the actors were not
at fault for its failure.
said at the outset there are better
actors to-day than in times gone by,
and l hope to see the time when it
will not be so difficult to cast plays as
it is now. The actors art. like all
other arts, has progressed but it could
not, unfortunately, keep pace with the
rublic's greatly increased craving for
amusement.
Invariably when the world has been
in a turmoil it has sought relaxation,
and the theatre has been its first emo
tional outlet. Hence the great increase
of managers, authors and actors, and
consequently, playhouses. There will
come, believe, with the reconstruction
period. readjustment of the condition
of the theatre. Real talent will com
pete with the "Screwdriver Jenkinses. :"
Men and women of real worth always
have great chance in the theatre. I
confess it's more frequently than
otherwise long, hard grind, but to be
great never comes by wishing it. It's
grubbing and toiling, and in the actors
art it's daily duty to attempt in the
quiet of ones room to act.
The universal quality in human
nature has produced the Drama. which
is the desire to initiate Aristotle says
that this desire "is instructive in man
from his infancy" Children love to
play "house" and initiate grown folk
So, if the ambitious amateur will but
mark we'll these wonderful two words
know thyself,' and find out whether
che possess mmctic qualities Zone OF
the first requisites to good acting) he
will not be square peg in a round
hole, and will see the futility of at
tempting to accomplish the impossible
and-to paraphrase an old English
proverb-he will not be catching the
wind in net.
Palisades Park