The New York herald., 1922-08-20

The author whofrelies on such COM
plicated trappings must like the ma
gician. suffer from the knowledge
that it took lot of machinery to bring
about what he was trying to do. The
audience is moreover likely to bear his
strenuous efforts in mind.
Plays for Cooperative Thenter.
A correspondent writes to inquire
how the numerous cooperative thea
ters mentioned here last week propose
to find the plays that will carry them
through the season when dramas that
appeal to the public for any length Of
time are so rare even when there is
managerial capital back of them. AL
ready the Equity Players have voiced
their disappointment over the limited
number of available works that have
come to them.
The supply of dramas worth the
investment of time and capital are Of
course the principal problem of the
manager to-day. When Charles Froh-
man founded the Repertory Theater
in London, to which Barrie, Pinero,
Shaw and Galsworthy contributed
their works. 1t was with the hope that
the institution might bring forth new
plays. of which he felt the constant
need Probably that experiment ulti-
mately contributed something to the
theater, although 1t took some years
before the dramas acted there were
taken for use over here 1t is true
that these pieces were better suited
in the majority of cases to the needs
Of cooperative theater than a COM
mercial institution.
There are of course well known
plays which have for some reason
escaped production here. Granville
Barker's THE voysey Inheritance" is
one Of those Of which much has been
heard and nothing seen. The drama
Is well worth a production, especially
when artistic results rather than great
profits are the object of an organiza-
ton.
Equally well known and equally In
visible so far as the eye Is Andriefrs
The Cherry Orchard" The theater
OF Ludwig Thoma, notably Moral. !"
and Frank Wedeklnd ought to furnish
material. and to such Austrians as
Schnitzler and Baer, the directors
could turn in the certainty Of finding
something worth while.
Plays 20 Repay . Trial.
There are stlll plays by Benavente
and his compatriots which would re-
pay a trial. SO far the theater OF
Strindberg has failed to make any ap-
peal to the American public. Yet the
few spectators of "The Dance OF
Death" as IL was acted for its sub
scribers by the Theater Guild have not
fotgotten what powerful study II
was OF the unhappiness OF a man and
wife who could not separate. Then
the Hungarian theater is fertile.
1t must be kept In mind that there
Is not In this suggestion OF well
known plays any material for the
needs Of a commercial theater OBJ
servers are likely TO conclude because
= drama has kept itself for more or
less extended period on the stage OF a
cooperative theater that IL might en-
JOY the same fate In n commercial
playhouse. This Is rarely true. In
spite OF their recent tendency TO en-
ploy the most popular talents In the
leading roles of their plays, these in
dependent organizations are often able
70 secure their less important actors
for small salaries. 1t is said that for
experience many OF them are willing
to play without any compensation. In
other ways the expense Of production
In the enterprises OF these organiza-
tfOuE la much 1ana than ttpdor rtbnr
conditions. A play that might appear
to have achieved really notable run
under such circumstances has often
been able TO survive mt weekly receipts
that would bankrupt the commercial
manager.
"a