The New York herald., 1922-08-13
FRENCH BOOKS.
ANTOINE THE LIBERATOR.
Surveyed by A. C. Fl. SPIERS.

A LII independent in the arts
~ and more especially in the art
of the theater, whether mere
liberals or out and out revolution
aries, will find much to love and learn
in Mes Souvenirs du Theatre Libre."
by Andre Antoine. The Neighborhood
Playhouse, the Provincetown Players
and the Theater Guild can study in
them with much profit the ups and
downs of the earliest and most glor-
ious. the most successful and perhaps
the saddest Of their immediate ances-
tors; for Antoine's Theatre Libre,"
founded in 1887 and collapsing, to all
intents and purposes, in 1894, is the
immediate progenitor Of similar thea
ters in such foreign cities as London
twith Beerbohm Tree), Berlin (Frei-
Buhne), and Copenhagen, not to
speak of those started in half a
dozen towns in France tAmiens,
Marseilles, etc.). and it has been the
great inspiration, the precedent and
to a certain extent the model of those
small, non- commercial troupes and
playhouses which. to-day the world
over, are the goals or the guides of
the big industrial theaters, either
forcing them or showing them the
way to keep the stage abreast of the
aesthetics of the age
The "Three Successive Stages"
Antoine has during his lifetime
managed three theaters, the Theatre
Libre, the Theatre Antoine 1886
1S06). the Odeon (1906-1s14). He
himself speaks of these as three
successive stages of one and the
same effort; the first being an at
tack on the defenders OF the accepted
theater OF his day; the second, an
attempt to win over the general pub
lie to new ideas; the third. last
and administrative routine. Through
out this effort he has championed
art against business; he has cut
down ticket Office receipts by spread
Ing dissatisfaction with old formulae;
and money thus attacked has had its
revenge. He is to-day as poor as he
was in 1887. Only few months ago
he said to an interviewer Il haven't
a cent At my age Che is Ga OF
thereabouts) go TO bed at / and
get up at in order to earn the
bread / eat" Lack of money has
been his great obstacle throughout his
career. In a few pages serving as
introduction to his Souvenirs" in
which he excuses himself for the
somewhat desultory nature OF their
dreamed OF making out Of this his
tory of the Theatre Libre not a dry
nomenclature Of dates but a picture
as sincere and striking as possible Of
the suffering imposed by money on
those who. foolishly enough, attempt
10 leave the beaten paths" Surely
these are pathetic words coming from
the pen of him whose courage was
SO great thirty-five years ago. In
July, 1887, no was sending out cir
cuiars announcing his first regular
season. With each of the 1900 ne
wished to send a personal letter
written by himself His time was
very limited since he worked all day
in the Paris Gas Works. Yet he not
only wrote these letters, but being
without cash to buy stamps. he de-
tivered them in person. Here is an
entry dated July 20, 1887: This
night I finished delivering the 1900
letters accompanying the I 300 copies
Of our program. I was forced TO
begin my rounds toward 10 o'clock
a. night, not getting through until
or 6 in the morning. As / must
be at my office at ., j literally sleep
standing. 1 finally delivered the last
this morning at Clemenceau's house
in Montaigne avenue and il took me,
so dizzy was 1 with sleep. a good five
minutes to find in the light OF break
ing dawn the letter box hidden under
the ivy Of the little gate"
a ~