New-York tribune., 1920-05-02

According to an article in q recent
number of ILLUSTRATION, Max Rein
hardt's Gross Schauspielhaus, recently
constructed in Berlin, embodies the
most radical of the theatrical ideas
that have characterized this leader of
the new theater" movement. A. P.
Antoine, a young French writer and
the son of the founder Of the Theater
Libre in Paris, after recent visit to
Berlin, brought back to the French
capital detailed description Of the
interior of the new theater.
This new theater, says NJ. Antoine,
has only remote resemblance to the
ordinary theater. 1t is built entirely
OF reinforced concrete, tinted in a neu-
at first disconcerting; the seats rise
on three sides Of pronounced oval
formed by q vacant space in front of
the stage. There is the usual stage,
but it is furnished with a turning
platform that will allow almost in
Simultaneous changes of sets. At the
rear of this stage is circular wall,
the form of which allows Reinhardt to
do without the panels used in the or
dinary theater.
In front of this stage proper, there
is what may be called in English
fore-stage, extending out into the va
cant space spoken of before. Each
part of this fore-stage can be raised or
lowered at will to give any desired
combination Of levels.
Finally there comes the open space
called "the orchestra" the floor of
which can also be moved in a vertical
direction. The actors can come to this
orchestra" not only from the stage,
but also from doors let into the walls
of the theater. At intermission the
stage proper is hidden by an ordinary
drop curtain, while the fore-stage and
the orchestra are hidden by circular
curtain drawn up from below like the
one in use at the New York Hippo
drome
The novelty of the disposition of
Reinhardt.s stage is equaled by the
novelty of his lighting arrangements.
He has sought to initiate the light of
day as closely as possible by conceal
ing projectors in the regularly ar
ranged rows Of concrete stalactites in
the vast cupola in the roof of the
theater. From these concealed pro-
Jectors soft and evenly diffused light
comes to the stage and the orchestra.
The bare description of the features
the ideals of the new theater" move
ment is not. perhaps, as interesting as
the reaction of M. Antoine. He writes:
"The use of the different mobile
parts of the theater, the turning stage,
the fore-stage, the orchestra, allowing
the use Of all sets, groups, levels, or
Irregularities of the ground that one
could imagine, and the necessity for
making the production visible and we'll
actor is in the middle Of his audience)
make the director seek new methods.
methods different from those used here
tofore. 1t is possible that there NAV
come from the use of these new
methods new technique Of the
theater."
NJ. Antoine goes on to say that the
old realistic formula of "the fourth
wall" according to which the majority
have been made in the past, sought to
give the spectator in the theater the
illusion Of seeing live and move be-
fore his eyes people who did not sus-
pect his presence. But we'll before the
war, Stanislavsky at the Moscow Art
Theater and Max Reinhardt at the
Deutsches Theater in Berlin had made
radical departures from the old form
ula and all that it connoted. Little by
little, says NJ, Antoine, the new form
ula was crystallized; a less minute
faithfulness in the matter Of sets, of
which the general lines were alone i'm
portant; no more Fourth wall"; no
separation of the actor and the audi
ence; the tragedy comes down to the
spectator, and envelops him, so to
speak, in the drama.
If none Of the experiments that vari-
Gus directors made with this new
formula attained the degree of perfec-
tion that one had right to expect, it
was, suggests the writer, not the fault
of the directors, but rather Of the the
aters which they we're obliged to use,