Evening star., 1924-08-31

THE great American indoor sport
Impetus tomorrow.
John Golden, the New York pro-
ducer of plays, is inaugurating the
John Golden National Prize Play Con-
test.
Aside from the fact that this is the
first nationwide free-for-all play
contest ever held a salient feature is
that there has been deposited in the
East River National Bank of New
York the sum of 100000. to be used
for productions. prizes and in the ex-
ploitation of this project.
Cash sums Of $4,000. 81, 900 and $500
as advances on royalties are to be
paid to the first. second and third
prize winners, and their plays are
guaranteed production.
OF equal interest is the fact that
Mr.. Golden has agreed that he will
produce these plays unread, regard
less of his own opinion as to their
artistic. literary or box Office merits.
The Judging Of the plays and the
entire conduct of the contest, with the
exception OF mechanical details. is in
the hands of a group of American
dramatic critics and dramatic edit
ors, located in more than $50 cities
throughout the United States.
Mr.. Golden's chief object in ar
ranging this competition has been to
devise a plan whereby greater num-
ber OF plays now written or in proc
ess Of composition may reach the
hands of persons with some knowl-
edge of the drama who may reason
ably be expected to pass fairly relia
BILE judgment upon the manuscripts,
Several months ago he saw mes
senger staggering under d batch OF
Great American dramas which was
being delivered into the private Of
fee of William Goddard. Mr.. Golden S
play reader.
Bill" said Mr.. Golden. why don t
you get truck driver to deliver
these plays"
Cant" replied Bill. They're all
busy writing EN-
Bill is a sad-eyed man whose great
sorrow in life is that Mr.. Golden can
not produce all the excellent plays
which pass through his hands. AS he
replied. he closed the cover to traS-
edy BIZ the professor of Greek in an
Eastern university. marked ii bully
good plot for musical comedy" and
after fishing New York society
drama by Montana sheepherder
from a pile OF unread manuscripts.
paused d moment from his work.
Bill" continued MIR. Golden. why
do you suppose 50 many people are
writing plays?"
II dunno replied Bill. scratching
his head, unless it is because so
many people have drama in their
souls. It's good sign that people
generally are interested in the thea
ter. Of course, there is the money
reason They know ii takes only
one good hit to put an author on
Easy street for life, and lot of EN-
hope to get rich that way.
Listen Bill" continued Mr.. Golden.
What do you think of natlon-Wl de
play contest, so conducted that the
person who submits play will know
that il is going to be read by some
one who knows something about
plays. and IL il wins d prize and runs
only one night. that he will get a
couple of thousand dollars?'
Sounds all right. all except the
part about getting them read, re-
piled Bill Now if ] could get good
reader to relieve me for awhile.
would lay off and write play my
self I've got a great plot, all about
An American boy. who, it turns out,
really is duke. In the first act
he works in glue factory and
then -
But Mr. Golden had fed.
Since the analytical study Of plays
after they have been produced has
been the task of many dramatic
critics Mr.. Golden could see no rea-
son why their judgment of plays be-
fore their production might not be as
good, or perhaps better, than that of
any other students of the theater
Trained in the task of appraiSing the
dramatic and entertainment values OF
wide variety of theatrical fare.
thess than other Rroup