The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-04-07

Nip VSH lnk1es some VIVA
changed from our Grip Of tn,
Kaatskills was written by Mr.. Mack
aye, and played in Chicago in TIL
winter Of 1919.
Mr.. Mackaye, contends that Ri
! was too good q man to be henpecket
by 8 termagant wife. He also de
prives him Of Wolf, his dog.
On his wedding morn, Rip take.
Peterkins, the little sister Of his bride
and goes into the mountains to hunt
Here he meets the men playing nine
pins, drinks the ale. and falls asleep.
Peterkins returns home, and grows
into beautiful woman. Many suitors
try for her hand, but she refuses all.
Rip wakens, comes home and finds
Peterkins more adorable than she was
twenty years ago.
They are married and live happy
ever after.
| Mr.. Mackaye was born March Is
| 1875, in New York. He graduated
from Harvard in 1897, and studied il
| Leipsig in 1898. For four years he
| was an instructor in private school
in New York.
He resigned and joined the Cornish
colony in New Hampshire, and has de.
voted his time entirely since then to
dramatic work. /.
He has lectured on the theater at
Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and other
American universities.
Critics say Mr.. Mackaye's gifts as
a writer are insthe direction of THE
poetic rather than the DRAMATIC; he
adorns his plays with rhetorical orna-
ments, and produces at best, only
"closet drama"
His plays are lyric, idylic, epic, but
rarely dramatic.
His best plays are Jeanne d. Arc
"Tenris. The Wolf" mater" "Can-
terbury Pilgrims" "The scarecrow,'
Tomorrow" and "Caliban on the. Vel
low Sands"
He has also written a number OF
short poems. Probably the best
known is his "Consecration Hymn" in
spired by the words of President Will
son, "The right is more precious than
peace"
All Of his plays are delightful to
read, but are strangely lacking in eff
fectiveness for the stage. His dialog
is over-elaborate and defective in
structure. In "Jeanne D. Arc" the
scenes are not unified by any definite
or single action. Canterbury Pill
grims" is more of pageant than q
comedy. In "Anti Matrimony," his
skill in literary satire is directed
against topics dear to modern writers:
such as. free love and exuberant indi-
vidualism. za
"Caliban on the.-Yellow Sands" is
considered by critics as. his best play.
It was written for the New York
Shakespeare tercenternary club.
The apparent purpose of the
masque was to enthfone Shakespeare
as the crowning figure Of the drama
Of all ages.
But the real object is to develop a
new art Of civic cooperation, by this
type of theatrical production.
Mr.. Mackaye says, "1n the world
today we need the art Of cooperation
If it were not for. cooperation we
would not stand where we do. Where
is this art Of cooperation better
taught than in the theater.."
. This point he Celebrates in the pre-
face Of @CaIiban."
Il have simply sought by its struc-
ture," says Mr.. Mackaye, Ito solve a
modern land future problem) of the
theater. The problem is the new one
Of creating a focused dramatic
technique for the more vaguely call
ed pageantry, Which in itself is vital
sign of social evolution half de-
sire Of the people not merely to re-
main receptive to popular art created
by specialists but to take part in Gre
ating it themselves. The desire that
is Of the democracy consistently to
seek expression thru the dreams of
the people, by the people, not merely
for the people" e..s.s s,. NJ
This masque has been translated
into Italian, German, and Yiddish so
that the community meaning may be
carried to New York's polyglot popu-
lation.
Edward Thompson, the executive
chairman of the tercenternary COM
mittee, estimates the cost of approx
in1ately to produce this masque in
New York, 100000. Mr.. Thompson
believes that the reaction in awaken
ing and creating a community interest
in such a mixed population as is repre-
sented by New York is invaluable.
Ins this masque Mr.. Mackaye has
taken his characters from Shakes
peare's Tempest" .Sg
b The art Of Prospero in the whole
masque "symbolizes the power Of dra-
matized beauty over the spirits Of
men," Symbolized in subject matter
it is true drama, with characters,
who act thru a plot and a conflict to
definite end
Setebos the god Of elemental force
lives on an island with Sycorax his
wife, the earth spirit, and his son
Caliban, a deformed brute man. He
holds Ariel, a spirit of the air cap.
tive.
Miranda, the daughter Of Pros.
pero, comes to the island, Calibar
falls in love with her, Prospero saves
his daughter; dethrones Caliban's
father; destroys his mother; frees
Ariel and appoints him to train Cali.
bans spirit to good uses thru the
! magic of the theater. A
Ariel shows Caliban scenes taker
from Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear
Julius Caesar, and other plays Of