Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-23
BY JOAN LITTLEFIELD.

Special Correspondence of The Star and thu
North American Newspaper Alliance.
LONDON, England, September 90
In the heart of Londons theaterland, ir
a narrow street off Shaftesbury avenue
stands what is probably the smallest
professional" theater in the world.
was once magnetic shop, narrow
ugly building in a dull Victorian street
Now it has brightly painted foyer,
pale gray walls and brown plush cur
tainS, while brilliant blue and gold
sign over the street bears the magic
words "ChildrenS Theater.''
About a year ago Miss Joan Luxton
pretty young West End actress, sci
herself the task of supplying a long
needed Want-a permanent place of en-
tertainment, open all the year round
that should cater exclusively to chill
dren.
My ideal" Miss LuXton told me
was to produce an entertainment, col
orful, tuneful and humorous, that would
appeal to children's imaginations with
out striving to be consciously educa-
tional or highbrow.
Uphill Work. She Says.
1T was uphill work at first. but when
once the theater was ready a number
of professional actors and actresses rail-
lied to my help and we have never suf-
tered through lack of players. All my
company are professionals. mostly
young, and they are glad to do the
work for an expenses fee only. AS our
performances begin at 545 each eve-
ming, the players are able to fit into
this work with their appearances at
the regular @grown-up theaters.
t'Wyn Ta0 H
painting, scene shifting, lighting and
dressmaking. This enables us to keen
the overhead expenses remarkably low
The theater is run on ordinary business
lines, however. 1t is licensed by the
lord chamberlain and the London
County Council, just as the larger West
End theaterS are, and it is completely
equipped with stage lighting, etc.
The little theater seats lis people
and the prices range from 5 shillings
3 pence to shilling pence, children
nall price. A certain number of poor
children in the neighborhood are al
lowed in for pence, however, and it
is whispered that some of the very
poor occasionally get seats for nothing.
Explains Business Program.
I asked Miss Luxton how it was pos
sible to carry on at such low prices.
We have to rely, of course. on the
higher priced seats being filled" she
replied. Luckily. the grown-upS seem
to find our entertainment as amusing
as the children do. But we always in
tend to have a certain number of
seats available at really cheap prices.
because We believe the spoken drama
has a very definite place in education
as we'll as in the amusement of chill
dren, and should be accessible to them,
however slender their resources"
The young actress then ran away to
dress for the performance, and went
in front" to my stall.
The house was full and the air tense
with excitement. When the footlights
went up there was a roar of applause.
and when the orchestra" in the form
Of very pretty young pianist, arrived,
she was nearly mobbed.
Opens With Typical Play.
The entertainment began with a typ
ical children's play with a witch and
her cat Gas comic relief and two young
men seeking their fortune-and a
moral. After it followed the most de-
lightful dramatizations of old songs
and sea chanties, all beautifully deco
rative in the modern manner, some of
them reminiscent of the famous