Evening star., 1931-12-06
POLLOCK PREDICTS
DRAMAS COLLAPSE
Author of Coming Play Tells
Pen Women Theater
Hurt by Sex.

Claiming Pollock, who once was dis
charged from a Washington paper for
a criticism he wrote of a play appear
ing in the theater where mis- success
ful The House Beautiful viii open
Monday, entertained members Of the
League Of American Pen Women Fri
day with a series Of bon motS on every
topic from art and the theater to the
characteristics of blue serge suits.
The talk at the clubs rooms on L
street was informal, bur at intervals
dramatic, and won a wide assortment
of applause and approving mods from
the women who heard MIR. Pollock's glib
comment
A native WaShingtonian who has
long been known as one Of Americas
most earnest and successful play
wrightS, Mr.. Pollock HAD much to say
about the contemporary theater. The
gist Of his opinion was that the drama
is suffering from an overdose Of crime
and sex subjects and Handicapped by a
lack Of cerebral entertainment
Predicts Theater Collapse.
He even went so far as to predict
the pTesent-day theater Is headed for
an absolute collapse. He prOphesied
that after the deluge there would arise.
phoenlX-like a new and splendid
American drama, the best ever known
in this country.
Mr.. Pollock related that one of his
works recently had run on Broadway
In line with theaters housing two bur
leSque shows, "a dirty French farce;
two naked reVueS' and a flea circus.
This ratio impressed him as very un-
fortunate. The mistake of the modern
public which supports bad shows. the
speaker said, is that it doesn't realize
entertainment is the exercise of the
mental faculties. not their suspension
We complain Of unemployment
What about the 10000 900 unemployed
brain cells of the idle man?" he asked
One aid to the re.nCaTnation Of the
theater following its imminent collapse
will be the fact the movies will soon
have all the stupid people, leaving the
fine intelligence TO the drTma, Nj
Pollock said.
Advocates Trinity.
The stage should be a combination
of the art gallery. the university and
the pulpit, Mr. Pollock opined But it
should not be a dull preacher OF high
brow. A highbrow, said the speaker.
is one who is educated beyond his
capacity; a lowbrow one who has no
capacity for being educated. The
~
1t should be alive. If it is not alive, it
is not anything. Furthermore, said Mr.
Pollock, both critics and authors should
avoid the idea that unintelligiblity is
cOncomitant with great art.
In certain play in New York some
years past, the actors interchanged
masks, used firSt-act masks in the last
act and laSt-act masks in the first. and
no one ever knew the difference, Mr.
Pollock told the Pen Women. One of
the players told him, he added, that at
one time the cast thought it knew what
the play was about, but the author
came down and explained it to them
and after that they never attempted
TO understand
Says Z. S. Need Enthusiasm.
Mr. Pollock said the United States
need the European enthusiasm for art
the same kind Of enthusiasm the
playwright says we have for money.
We must get excited about plays, pic
tures and books, he said, and be willing
to fight for our artistic beliefs as We
fight for economic sustenance
Money should grow less and less i'm
portant to US. We should worry less
about depressions and more about in
tellectual wants. The crowd discovers
the great artist before the critics do,
Mr.. Pollock continued. Therefore, the
ambitious artist must lift the populace,
not sink below it.
Mir. Pollock said he never writes
play until he cant hold 1t in any
longer"-until it bursts out red hot"
THE House Beautiful" he admitted, is
partly photographed Its origin lay
In the idea it might be romantic for a
man to be in love with his own wife