New Britain herald., 1929-11-26
NOISY AUDIENCES
 BANE 0F ACTRESS
Jane CoWl Says All Talking
 Should Be Done on Stage
By HORTENSE SAUNDERS

'f iE'iAI IH->'i1 'N+hN -NbIshFN
 New York, Nov. 2G.-rhe thcater manners of New Britain playgoera are no better and no worse than those of New Workers, but there is a steadily lowering standard of audi ence ctiquet all over the country.
 This is according to Jane Cowl, the actress.
 ''The talking picture may he an improvement over the silent dra- ma," she declared, but the talk ing audience is a menace which. un- less it can be quited, will drive from the boards the new actors and actresses who devote themselves to the legitimate drama"
 A year ago, playing in Boston, Miss CoWl received great applause and much wider approval-bccausc she stepped out Of her stage char act"r long enough to roproye some late corners who were audibly trying to figure out what had happened be- fore they arrived, and to ask them for the sake Of the rest of the audi ence, 10 be quiet.
 Declares War on Takers
 This season she has become a crusader for better manners in the thoatcr, and has come out militant ly against the takers.
 T am not including audiences as a whole" she maintained "The dis turbing element is probably only about five per cent. But it is sufIi- Cient to take the joy out of thcater- going for the other 95 per cent, and it IS wearing out the actor.
 Modern life makes us a noisy people, because We are continually surrounded by rackets, some ncces- sary, some quite supcrfluOus. Our lives unfold and crash, bang, clat- ter and din that keep us from ob- serving much that is beautiful and delicate and quiet. Everything is a mad rush or scramble instead of something that is carefully thought out and quietly sought for
 '"The stage not only reflects our past, but our preSent-day manners as well. No one is in better posi- tion 10 observe the changes we are undergoing than we who face an audience every evening, and have seen what the jazz age has done to it.
 Glamour Leaves Thcater
 "Only those who love the thea ter, and actors who love their art u l1n hn. h., 1,.f l,, do and the fascination players had for their public, realize how last we are driving glamour from our theaters- driving it out with noise and chatter. And when the glamour is gone, the thcater has outlivcd it's Junction."
 That day will bring the domination of the mechanical audience, Miss Cowl belieNes-people who use their eyes, ears and voices but not their emotions-people who take, but do not give.
 Players can be no better than their audiences" she insists. "They can do their best only when they have attention, quiet, and rccep- tive spirit out in front. Late corners, who arrive III dinner mood, laughing and talking as they take their seats, make it impossible for any play to get the right start or to give the correct emotional ap- proaCh.
 "But how can we expect quiet and punctuality in the theatcr, when we find it nowhere else Close attention is not demanded for the newer forms Of mechanical entertainment so it is not foStercd.
 Movie Actors Aren't Bothered
 You can go into a movie any time, and if you arrive in the mid dle of the last act, stay through the next performance. You can talk, rustic paper, cough, make remarks about the actors, and be d nuisance only to those around you-lor, at the movies, you do not affect the per tormance of the players. Ii was previously recorded in the uninter-