Evening star., 1924-06-05
LITTLE THEATER Ills
BLAME PUT ON WIVES
Manager Loses Good Leading Man
Each Time Aspiring Actor
Gets Home Criticism.
HOMELY MEN MAKE GOOD
Hinsdell Tells About Situation at
Drama League Meeting.


LOS ANGELES. June 5.-Whats
wrong with the little theater move
ment in America?
oliver Hinsdell of Dallas. Tex,
pioneer in the little theater move
ment summed the answer up In the
one word wives" in his address
before the Drama League of Amer1-
ca. in session at Pasadena this week.
Then he painted a graphic word pic
ture of what he meant. Listen.
We'll, you certainly made hne
spectacle of yourself up there tonlght
before all those people, chasing that
scrawny widow around and trying to
kiss her. | was never so mortineu
in my whole life. and If you couio
have heard what the women SAID
about you, you'd never want TO sho"
your face in public again.
II should have thought you "oulo
have had some consideration for me,
but. of course. I'm only your wite.
If you simply had to go tnroush
that silly performance, at your age,
YOU might have thought something
Of your position and acted in dig
nified manner. You didn't nave 10
lust throw yourself at her. and paw
her all the time.
And that final soul kiss! As a
sheik. you're shrek. Everybody
was laughing at YOU.
Back to Mediocrity.
And so. next day. the already dis
tracted manager of the community
playhouse receives news by way OF
telephone that he has lost another
leading man and another tired, soul
starved business man seeking sell
expression and cultivation OF the
flame OF ambition that has long
in hnS0n OnreSlSI-
ing back into the great sea OF medloc-
rity.
And what Of the lady who made
the protest? Like as not in few
days she speaks again to her hus6ana, no,
telling him that she has joined the
cast for the next play at the commun-
ity playhouse.
II always knew I had talent" she
tells her wondering husband, and
it was n question of marriage or a
career for me. Lots of people thought
| made a mistake in marrying at all.
That can't be helped now, but at least
| cannot be expected TO smother all
ambitions and bury what talent |
have in household drudgery. If the
career opens to me, l believe 1t my
duty to accept it
wives are jealous of the ability
of their husbands and of their time, -
said Mr.. Hinsdell. "A good many
business men would participate in
amateur theatricals if it wasn't for
their wives But let it even be hint
ed that husband is a good actor, and
the green eyed monster starts on a
rampage"
Chance for Homely Man.
Mr.. HinsdeIl also gave it as his
experience that a homely man can be
as good an actor. and make equally
as big a hit as stage lover, as a
regular Adonis. The homely actor
who knows how to speak his lines
can do a Romeo in the canceIing
moonlight that will set aflutter every
feminine heart in the theater, while
the merely handsome actor may be a
regular flop as d lover.
That's what makes the spokies so
different from the movies. And,
speaking of the movies, the Drama
League has been repeatedly told that
while the movies did make an awful
dent in the spoken drama for while,
the real art Of the theater is coming
back into its own. and in a large de-
gree through the little theater move
ment, and has not only reEained its
prestige. but is marching forward to
fresh conqueSts.
Community playhouses are spring
ing up all over the country. and de-
ern plays. to the encouragement of
the playWrights. 1t is acknowledged.
however, that the professional stage
is not in such a good way.
Mrs. Edith Ellis. d successful play
wright, took occasion to lay the blame
for the present condition OF the pro-
feSSional stage upon the little theater
movement, and declared that the
movement would be responsible for
the loss of the art of acting in this
country, if conducted at the expense
of the professional actor. She spoke