Evening star., 1932-10-02
<lX /ES-I would rather like
Nv to direct in the talkies-
but no-they won't let

but no-they won't let
me-" Thus spoke, last
week, backstage in her dressing
room at Ford's (Baltimore) The
ater, 1.-THE Lady of the Camilias,"
blowing smoke rings into the
grease-painted air while sitting
back comfortably in a pink silk
wrapper in which she had just
died on the stage. "It is very
complicated business. of course
and, Of course, I don't know any
thing about it-but I should like
to do it-just as I should not
like to act in the talkies."
Miss LIE Gallienne, Fourteenth
streets New York; theatric gift
to the gods whose absence from
the stage during the past season
was a cause of much woe in that
neighborhood and many others
does not obviously find the cellu-
loid medium to her liking. She
is certain that, in company with
"our greatest actress" Catherine
Cornell, she is doing the wise
thing by not succumbing to pic
ture lure. She even has refused
to do 1.-The Barrets of Wimpole
Strickland why?-"because if
Miss Cornell doesn't think she
could act it on the screen
heaven knows I couldn't"
This small, vibrant personality
OF the stage, fatigued bit after
her performance as the harassed
Dumas heroine, white faced,
purple-eyed, much beWrapped in
the traditional nocturnal gar
ments in which Camille sinks to
her doom, talked then enthusi-
astically about her plans for the
season-her JOY at returning to
the theater, her satisfaction at
finding that the American the
ater is possibly the best in the
world.
Abroad the theater is in bad
way" she said. London is SNUG
Paris, So-So-and the other
countries I don't know
about Russia sorry that I
didn't have a chance to get there.
I'm not certain that we have any,
thing definite that we can teach
them, but I am certain that there
Is very little now that we can
learn from them"
And as for the depression in
the theater?"
THAT" said the lady Of the
Camilias with a smile, doesn't
worry me. In fact, I really think
my theater will rather benefit by
it-cheap seats-you know" she
added with a laugh-"cheap seats
and good"
Amazing what this young per-
Son-She is just couple of jumps
beyond 30-has done in her brief
lifetime. This theater of hers
the New York Civic Repertory
Theater-is now one of the real
bulwarks of Americas stage. At
first laughed at by sneering i'm
pressarios and nonchalantly dis
missed as a venture doomed to
early failure-"What," said they,
"a star that young attracting
anybody to that downtown barn!"
Fit Is now one of the seasons
events" A group of actors (not
always brilliant), but earnest,
working, polished troupers,
who are required to speak their
speeches from repertory of some
IS plays-nightly and twice week.
1y on afternoonS-play to capac-
ity audiences in this downtown
barn"-from which Miss LeGalli-
enne does not think of moving.
CT need much larger stage than
they have in those uptown the
aters," she explained. II must
carry sets for IS plays.") In the
morning she rests and reads and
rehearseS-in the afternoons she
directs in the evenings she acts.
This afternoon, for instance"
she said, with something akin to
real enthusiasm in her eyes, II
directed a new play called Dear
Jane, which we are going to do.
It's all about Jane Austen. Peo-
pie who like Jane Austen, who
liked Pride and Prejudice will
like 1t. Those who don't care for
Miss Austen won't. No-I'm not
going to be the lady. Josephine
Hutchison will play the leading
role"
Thus Miss LEG Gallienne-Camille
one minute cher death scene in
this Is not the long-drawn-out,
.whooping agony that some famed
actresses have made it, but q