Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-06-08
Wants Theaters
for His Children
Father Seeks Plays Which
W1U Be Beneficial to
HIS Girls.
BY zAYDA GLOVER.


NEW YORK. June THE other da Y
tiers came to me with the following
problem:
Il have two little girls a, home, one
seventeen and other fifteen.
would like to have them go 10 the
theater occasionally for recreation.
amusement and information. There is
Il clamor about the stage TO the youns
mind that ought to be helpful and not
hurtful. 1t is an incentive to he
Imagination. 1t is a revelation in
character. should like to have my
daughters secure some Of these bene-
fits.
But frankly I'm stupid. don't
know where TO send them. I've seen
MANY of this seasons productions.
I've read most of the opinions OF the
critics. I've scanned the theatrical
advertising columns carefully. And !
seem to find very. very few shows that
id feel entirely safe about letting my
girls 80 TO
For instance. couldn't have them
so to the average musical comedy. be
ca"s. there IS u.s. ally a turn 10 the
plot that units IT for youthful minds.
OF course. they are barred from the
craze in farces because these arc now
adays OF too broad character. Most
melodrama nowadays also revolves
sbou. incidents that arc either not un-
derStandable by. or too indicate for
the youthful mind. The society drama
also is too much involved in some sex
problem to permit the ears of the
young to hear its discussion.
I'D like my daughters to go to the
playhouse freQuently-say once every
two weeks so. But I'll be bound il
the plays are here to warrant that
recall not more than three or four
productions this season to which 7 have
felt perfectly satisfied to take them
Among them were ~ Prince There
Was, Forever After 'Daddics.' The
Little Teacher The Rose and the
Ring. and the Hippodrome. Beyond
these the bars were up"
The contention Is important and i'm
pressire. l wonder if the big theatre
ca producers have appraised II fairly.
The position of the father Of these
daughters is no different than It would
be we're his children sons of that age
Is the theater catering to the tastes OF
the young who ten years from now
should form very large percentage of
its patronage" From n purely com
mercial aspect. would there not be
wisdom in appealing more frequently
to the youthful pleasure seeker" ANA
would not few more plays. tit for the
young. help TO relieve the stage from
some OF the storm of censure that has
descended on IL for its broadness and
indelcacy?
Speed the day Of some plays OF The
Blue Bird and Treasure Island
type.
To be a first nighter" Is dream
that not many ALL everyday theater-
Coer is apt 10 have come true. but
somehow the hope s,ill fingers latent
that by come unforeseen twist OF fate
or luck the opportunity may some time
come. We look with lonEing on the
favored ones who arc able to view the
'trst production of a play, be that play
success OF n failure afterward 1t
- because IL is given but to the few
iortunaics 10 attend the regular thea
ter frst nights that il lures us. But
now comes FIRST night that will. peg
Aaps. permit some of US "outRiders'' tc
get inside on tn" might of nights"
This rival OF the ,heater first nigh
Is tho Movie First Night" No more
Is the movie among the don't counts
II has come into It's own, with rea
frs; night that is quite an event. ar
affair 10 be counted on with the best OF
EN-.
Now that the summer vacation o.
the metropolitan successes Is being
entered upon, the theaters they oc-
cupied are being rented BY the big
feature producers in the movie game