The New York herald., 1922-11-26
BeIasco Makes the Actors,
Dean All for Production

Now, Mr.. Belasco--for we proceed
at once to take concrete examples
makes actors, subjecting his produc-
tion to them, utilizing their own per-
sonalities and providing the back
ground of movement and timing which
Will best set off each individuality.
Mr.. Dean, on the other hand. subjects
everything to the Importance Of his
production, thus obtaining little short
Of perfection for the play, but hardly
doing his actors the something more
than justice done them by Mr.. Belass-
cos method. The latter. in thinking
out his scheme of things. molds it
entirely TO the individual; concealing
faults and emphasizing assets. Mr..
Dean mercilessly immolates the indi-
vidual to the perfection OF MS prear-
ranged scheme Of things.
And now TO abolish the popular
myth that "the production" means the
scene settings. and nothing more.
For, TO describe the methods of these
two interesting people (who are far
less noisy and descriptive about them
selves than many. quacks and fad
dsts who do infinitely less, practically,
for the theater), II Is necessary and
desirable that the unintiated should
better understand what the director
does.
lie does everything. he is everything
interpreting. explaining-the author
to the actors; the actors TO the au-
thor; tho probable views of critics
and audiences to both what he wants
to everybody. including the scene
designer (unless he is designing
everything himself). and the cleo
trician. for he plans the lighting.
And, above all. he directs; he explains
their work to the actors. he even does
It for them az he is able). And that Is
where O great producer. Ike David
Belasco or Basil Dean, scores over a
merely sood producer-he can do their
work for them. Plenty Of directors
can explain at great length what II r.
exactly that they want the actor 10
convey but they can't (like these
two) get up on to the stage and do II
themselves. To have seen Belasco. for
instance. dazedly dragging across the
stage till he almost trips over the re-
volver lying on the floor illustrating
Frances Starry, or playing a love scene
in ''Kiht' for Lenore Uric: to have
seen Basil Dean playing with appar-
emily unconscious humor and complete
girlishness the part Of EueIine In THE
! Blue Lagoon" OF turning from one
entirely different character part TO an
other (and being both) In a play like
"Loyalties' Is a revelation.
The director decides everything
down TO the movements OF the charac-
ters about the stage-where they shall
sit, and when. and how--even the in
Elections OF the voice are often given"
by him. For the one thing that no
actor can ever do is to see and hear
himself as he 10 seen and heard from
the auditorium. That the director
does. Once an audience Is there the
actor can tell whether he is doing well
or badly; but IN modern theaterdom
that II too late 20 know. Tho director
discovers II beforehand. and has 10 set
right what is wropg. He, too. regu-
lates the timing" of the different per
formances--one OF the greatest factors
In giving them their true value. So
that when tho finished product is re-
vealed II il most often by his work
that II stands or falls. Even the critics
(though they don't realize ~ eppor-
ton praise or blame often quite
wrongly 20 the individual actor when
Il belonged 20 the power behind the
scenes. The trouble Is that we mum
mers. being an ungratefui race and
full OF vanity, are very willing 20 ac-
cept the credit OF things when II turns
out that the director was right (and IL
is surprising how often he is). When
he was wrong. however. every one is
ready--eaper--t share the blame.
That is the only time when the direc-
tors complete (and reaD responsible
ity Is freely admitted.
But those occasions arc less fire.
uuent IN cases like the two have
chosen to illustrate. Mr.. Belasco. OF
course. knows his theater backward
but then he rarely forces an actors
clination--preferring TO overcome
his certainty by reason. Mr. Dean.
being a young man, occasionally strl
makes a mistake. and being deter
mined always on having his own way
over a performances at once-often
uses forcc-and insists on providing
round holes FOR square pegs.
WITH tncse greet producers, how
ever, enc = less rehcllogS, 7. - not