The New York herald., 1922-07-02

( " one no system, can create
IN a dramatist" Thus spake
George p. Baker. head of
the theatrical laboratory known as
"The AZ Workshop" and professor of
dramatic literature at Harvard Uni
versity. Nothing that he could have
said in justification of a great col
lege treating the drama as genuinely
an art of the theater and studying it
as such, in a practical way. could
arouse the confidence of people in his
sanity as these words have done.
Prof. Baker had to overcome Sc
rious doubts of a part of the public
by results when he started the
Workshop. His ten, or twelve grad
yates" who have reached, if not
overwhelming recognition, at least a
public production seem to be suffi-
cient in number to have converted
the doubters to too sanguine as
piration for the school. This public
now, writes Prof. Baker, demands
correspondence courses. instruction
in the whole subject in summer
school of six weeks, text books that
with one reading will put a wouldbe
playwright ON Broadway dozen
absurditieS or impoSsibilities."
Shortening the Difficult Road.
All that the head of the Workshop
claims it can do is to shorten the diff
fiallt road of the playwright and
help him to help himself. He must
start, however. with a natural gift
for dramatic writing.
But who is Prof. Baker, and has he
shown evidence of an endowment of
the sort? Or is be just one of the
numerous band who never see a play
but they feel an ability stirring with
In themselves to write it over and
make it better? Or has he. like Max
Reinhardt. a genius for production
capable of turning a pebble into
jewell
The second question can be an
swered offhand negatively. If Prof.
Baker possessed the producers tall
ent it may safely be assumed he
would have followed that adventure.
Yet even as one sets down this SNUG
conclusion recollection of the pro-
ducer employed year after year by
Smith College girls comes to mind.
This man lives in New York but is
utterly strange to any dramatic or
literary set If he was ever behind
the scenes of an operating theater
1t was casually. Yet judging by re-
suits this outsider, whose coaching is
confined to a few weeks as the col
lege year is closing. seems to be fitted
for his job. And 50 it is necessary
to take back the remark about Prof.
Baker. who may be born producer.
He is. they say. a born" educator.
He has been successfully instructor,
assistant professor and professor Of
English at Harvard He was Hyde
lecturer at the Sorbonne in 1907-0S,
lectured at other French universities
and has given several series OF lee
lures at Lowell Institute. He has
edited books on the drama and writ
ten several himself. Almost his first
book was on "Shakespeare's Develop
ment as a Dramatist" u90O. Gradu-
ated from Harvard, he has been on
its faculty ever since. Prof. Baker is
now SIS years of age.
In 1918 the Workshop began. From
the beginning it has depended almost
wholly on itself, doing all the work
except for the making of scenery
flats and some of the bulky proper
ties. 1t occupies the lower floor OF
Massachusetts, Hall, one of the Oldest
of the Harvard buildings. Students
are admitted in English AZ and Ala.
the two courses in playwriting. These
appear also in the curriculum of Rad
cliffe. the woman's college. To get
from the first group CAD to the sec
ond group (47A) is by competition;
students in the former submitting