The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-05-12

Stuart Walker, eminent young play
wright, actor, and producer, of Indian
apolis and New York, addressing the
14th annual convention of the sixth
district Federated Clubs in Grace
NJ e. church Wednesday evening, re-
lated with a touch Of humor his
successes, failures, and adventures in
The modern theatrical field of Amer
lea, beginning with his first fame OF
interest at the age of three when with
his parents he saw Emma Abbott in
The Bohemian Girl" ----
. What learned about my audiences,
ranging in age from 10 to. 10 years,
have found applies to all audiences.
| wanted to present tragedy but some
how my audiences did not want some
Thing grand. They wanted to be enter
tanned. The theatre is first of all
place of entertainment. A tragedy
was no drawing card, but advertise
ment announcing the advent of a gold
coach in the coming play (Barnum
was still living. drew the crowds
But the more Dashboard characters
could kill the happier was, so l hit
upon the plan of serving food at
tragedies The first time I made the
mistake Of feeding my audience first
but after that found it more advisable
TO give them half the ration at the
second intermission and the rest at the
close 0 the performance.
6eauty's Blurred.
A little time after he went to the
University of Cincinnati, where things
Of beauty were drilled into them in
mathematical terms blurred the beau
ty-sonnets were rhyme schemes, an
hour would be spent Gel one page of
Shakespeare and each student learned
the number of misprints in the plays
II was fired with the desire to go
on the stage, but was from a family
Of decent doctors and decent lawyers
and no one in my family had ever gone
on the stage SO I went south and en-
tered the lumber business
While living in a primitive little
parish about so miles from New Or
leans he saw Bill Jackson, a great
burly negro with long black beard and
flowing black hair working out a
ballad in large crowd one night on
the theme "Fhe lynch pin fell out of
the chariot wheel and Nero he got
drownded", while the audience around
Bill took up the refrain, working it out
in pantomine.
Goes Into Theatre.
"That decided me-" he continued.
81 had to go into the theatre. / went
to New York and worked with David
Belasco, one of the theatres greatest
men. I started the Portmanteau
theatre. an old theatre modernized
On a Christmas night in 1915 we gave
a performance in Madison Square in
New York in the shadow of the great
municipal tree at Broadway and Fifth
avenue Ten thousand people saw that
performance. 1t was dream realized.
It appealed to them. Some loved the
color, some the story, and some the
music. but it appealed to all Of
them.
After travelling several years with
his theatre. Mr. Walker found his art
lists became such good actors that he
could not keep them and railroad rates
we're increasing so he decided to
settle. Someone told him the two
worst things in the theatre were the
week before Christmas and the Murat
theatre in Indianapolis. So he decided
on the Murat. Runnig at a cost OF
$1,000 a week. the new stock company
took in $1100 the first week, and S 1850
the second week, still running at
$1,000 We had enough money to get
hack to New York, but the vote was
to stick il out and the next week We
broke even.
Tells Of Experiment.
He told a little Of his experiment he
has been working in Indianapolis,
bringing there for summer months.
actors who at other times are never