Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-13
CLARK GIVES TALK
TO DRAMA GUILD
One of Most Spirited Sessions
of Current Conference
Is Held.
Barrett Clark, widely known critic

Barrett Clark. widely known critic
and dramatic historian, was the prin-
cipal speaker last night at one of the
Community Drama Guilds most spirited
sessions in its current annual confer
ence at Mckinley High School. Gideon
A. Lyon was chairman of the evening.
Addison Pitt, director of the National
Theater Players, was the second speak
er on the program, and Harold Snyder
OF the Community Center Department
gave demonstration lecture on Mod
ern Stage Lighting"
Dwelling briefly on the difficulties of
producing amateur drama in Washing
ton in past years, with special refer
ence to the financial responsibilities in
volved, Mr.. Lyon introduced Barrett
Clark, who, as literary adviser to Samuel
French, Inc. was ably qualified to dis
cuss 1.-The right play and the right pay"
in connection with his subject, plays
and Royalties"
Pointing out that considerable mis-
understanding as to the exact operation
of the royalty system seemed to exist
In the public mind, Mr.. Clark said
that royalty was no more than legiti-
mate rent for the use of playwright's
work. II there were no royalties. he
said. there would be an immediate
diminutlon In both the quantity and
quality Of plays available for amateur
presentation. Scores of playwrights. in
precarious financial circumstances, had
been sustained through their worst
PERIODS by royalties from amateur pro-
auctions, Mr.. Clark declared, and thus
enabled to continue writing. The
speaker cited. as one example. the case
of Lady Gregory, the subsistence OF
whose family during the trying years
OF the war had virtually depended upon
the royalties from her one-act plays.
Cases Are Cited.
There are fully 500 cases a day of
persons, such as school teachers and
church benefit leaders. who plead that
the royalties are beyond their resources
In some instances reductions could be
arranged, Mr.. Clark said, each case
resting under its own particular circum-
stances, but the matter of reductions
was entirely with the authors.
One-act plays are dead, Mr.. Clark
said. OF fifteen or twenty thousand
one-act pieces available, only a dozen
or so are worth the paper they are
printed on. More copies of good three
act play are sold in a day than of a
one-act play in year, he declared.
Scoring the little theaters and COM
munity groups as 1.-The worst sheep
imaginable" Mr.. Clark declared that
they should seek less of the Broadway
flavor and success and write original
plays dealing as much as possible with
material to this country.
Addison Pitt opened his remarks with
a tribute to the work of the players
and directress who put on the guild
tournaments prize winning play, 1.-THE
Monkeys Paw" as a curtain-raiser to
recent National Theater production
AS elements of the present decline of
spoken drama, Mr.. Pitt cited the loss
of mystery in the theater, saying that
people knew too much about the tech
nique and operation of plays, the fact
that today people do not talk about
plays at home as they used to, giving
more discussion to the movies and
finally, the rise of the star system which
supplanted actual dramatic talent with
personality and the ability to wear
clothes.
Stage Lighting Traced.
Tracing the development of stage
lighting from the early Greek stage
through the Roman, medieval, the Eliz-
abetfan and nineteenth century phases
Harold Snyder presented talk, Illus
trated by lantern slides, concerning
modern stage lighting.
Tonight's session of the conference
will be in the nature of a summing-ur
of the preceding discussions.