The Washington times., 1922-01-08
BRADY STATEMENT
AROUSES PARIS
AUTHORITIES
interviews DsvsIop interesting
Comments on Present State
OF Theatrical Affairs In
French Capital. .

f :" -
Of Theatrical Affairs IN
French Capital. r.
~ Universal Service.
n ARTS. Jan. 7.-williame. A.
Brady's Chicago statement
that the degenerated taste Of
the theatergoing public prevented
the success Of clean plays has
aroused enormous interest and dis
cussion In French theatrical circles.
Asked Tor their opinions on the
decadence Of the drama. the fol-
lowing actors. impresarios. play
wrights and critics made these
statements exclusively TO Univer-
sal Service: .
BY SARAH BERNHARDT,
Most Famous Living Tragedienne.
The theater should belong to
thinkers. to poets and, above all.
TO those playwrights who remain
youthful Of heart. generous Of sen.
timent and enthusiastic Of ideal.
It IL these who must be aided.
and our great duty Is to keep the
feet Of our growing generation OF
idealists In the stirrup. The world.
and particularly France, is fun Of
genius which demands only a hear
ing. In their works one is sure to
find beauty, and their conceptions
are clean and elevated.
As to the people, they admire
wholesome plays by instinct. and
they should be educated to prefer
them to unclean productions which
abound too much on our stage to-
day.
By FIRMIN GEMIER,
Famous Director Of the Odeon.
The future belongs to the popu-
lar theater; the true public is the
crowd.
1t is necessary to build great
theaters, where every seat will be
within reach Of the masses-pro.
duce plays not merely TO insure
large profits but for the love OF
dramatic art and for the education
Of the people. "'a
Even the ignorant MASSES find
real enjoyment in the classics, un-
consciously or by intuition.
Theatrical education should In.
clude the presentation Of plays OF
all nationalities. I have invited
the Drama League Of America to
submit me American manuscripts,
and for the first time In history
the Odeon will play masterpieces
from the new world. ;.
proceed on the theory that ig-
nored talent IL to be found every.
where In all countries.
BY JACQUES HEBERTOT,
Director Of the Vanderbilt Champs
Elysees Theater.
Thousands of manuscripts must
be read to discover one master
piece. Unhappily we IN Paris arr
struggling under a heavy handicap
the lack Of necessary finances.
The public attaches itself to
beauty. and in my opinion is not
uniquely DESTROYS of. seeing plays
based on adultery and questionable
tableaux in the music halls.
But courage is needed to redirect
the public, at present disoriented
by the war, into the appreciation of
morality and the exaltation of beau
tiful sentiments.
BY RODOLPHE DARZENS,
Director Of the Theater des Arts.
There are plenty Of playwrights
and writer's for the theater who are
dignified and have not lost the es
sential conception Of idealism which
must be at the base of all master.
pieces, but unhappily the cash does
not exist to produce their work.
Few theaters have the courage to
present plays of real literary merit
which few 60 to see; they prefer the
easy gain found In the production Of
the sort Of light opera now the
vogue in Paris. in which the princi-
pal parts are played by unclsd
women.
However, hope IL found In the
fact that our theater is possessor Of
q large following; unhappily we can
only produce one classic at n time.
I am now following a policy Of
encouraging young piaywrigh.s.
among whom have discovered
some veritable geniuses.
BY PAUL POIRET,
Famous Dressmaker, Theatrical Cos
tuner, and Owner Of the
Theater Oasis.
The distinguished public, the dis
eliminating auditors Of before the