The Washington times., 1922-11-05
LITTLE THEATER
PROJECT TO BE
LAUNCHED HERE
Robert w. Bells
Dream To Come
True.
WASHINGTON is at last to nave
its little theater.

its little theater.
With Robert w. Bell. of Wash.
fngton. and James Reynolds. Of
New York-"Jimmie" Reynolds. of
"Follies" fame-as moving spirits.
plans have been perfected to open
one Of the small. intimate play.
houses which have been 80 sue.
cessful In other cities. and to pro-
duce a series of plays which will
have a strong appeal to discrimi-
mating audiences.
The organization will be known
rs the Rams Club Players, after
q famous dramatic club which
flourished in the days of the divine
Sarah Siddons, and the nucleus
will be a small group of profes.
sional players from New York. a
permanent company, which may
be augmented from time to :inie
as occasion demands. In addition
there will be associate members OF
the club. recruited from men and
women OF wealth, leisure. and cul-
tivated tastes, who will contribute
to the support of the players and
who will be privileged to attend
all performances.
This Is to be a 'little theatec"
In fact as well as in theory. Tor it
10 to be established in The audi.
torium of the home Of the late
Alexander Graham Bell, at 1881
Connecticut avenue, which will
seat rather less than 100 persons.
This pleasant room, which DR..
Bella kinsman of Robert Bell
used as a library and where meet
ings of one sort or another used
to be held during his life time, is
to be metamorphosed into a very
gem of an intimate thaater. A
proper stage and a prosecenium
arch are being built in, with ade-
quate dressing room facilities, and
the house is being redccorated
under the direction of James
Reynolds.
Mr.. Reynolds. who designed
many of the costumes and the
loveliest settings for the Ziegfield
Follies, and who ranks with Urban
and Robert Edmund Jones, will
do" the productions and will
supervise their presentation.
ROBERT w. BELL is to be
director of the company and
will also take part In some of the
plays presented. The son Of Mr..
and Mrs. Charles ]. Bell, Of Wash
ington, he has had a good deal of
professional experience and was
for a time associated with Mr.. and
Mrs. Maurice Brown, long identi.
fled with Chicago's Little The.
ater," which was a pioneer in the
field of producing drama of doubt
full commercial value but of artistic
quality and literary interest. Mr..
Bell played with Mr.. and Mrs.
Brown on the Pacific Coast one
summer and was with them in
New York last winter. Moreover,
during the summer just past he
went on a good old-fashioned barn.
storming tour in New England.
playing in Turn to the Right"
on a Chautauqua circuit.
At tea given by Mrs. Charles
J. Bell at her suburban home,
Twin Oaks, on Wednesday. Mr..
Bell outlined his plans before a
sympathetic company and many
influential men and women pledged
their help in his effort to fill n
long.felt want in Washington.
VNHE Rams CluD PlayerS nope
TO open their playhouse some time
in December and propose to pre-.
sent six productions over a period
of twelve weeks. They want to
bring to Washington plays which
have never been presented here
the sort Of thing which has been
done by Stuart Walkers Port.
manteau Theater, the Little The.
ater in Chicago, the Provincetown
Players, the Theater Guild and
other organizations Of their ilk.
The productions will be put on in
the most finished manner. and pre-.
sumably they will introduce the
Capeks, the Yeates. the Singles.
the Eugene O'Neills and the Lord
Dunsanys of dramatic literature
to Washington.
The theater is to be run to some
extent on club lines and ticket,
will be obtainable by subscription
rather than by box office sales.
Miss Bess Davis Schreiner is bust.
ness and publicity manager OF the
organization and Mrs. I. Thomas
IIagpa oa,rataru