Evening star., 1934-12-16

OuCGlUIlS WILL ou11lSIC1lU WA "
members of each are loyal, ain
their own little group. Each
stand on, believes it is the bes
leg to stand on, is determined to
II like this, it is vigorous competi-
ton. 1t works to the unquestioned
advantage Of the audience. 1t insures
him often better than professional
performances for prices within his
reach.
II say like this competition Wig
orous, but in Washington it has ap-
preached a bitterness which initiates
against any well-founded Civic The
ater. Each group, especially those of
the front rank, is so intent on be-
coming THE group and establishing
its own theater that, if avoWalS come
true, the city is about to become clut-
tered with flock of Little Theaters,
each one made over garage or barn,
and none adequate, comfortable nor
worth giving a show in. What is more,
each will be covered by mortgages,
the complete retirement of which
would be slow, painful and in most
cases impossible. Being an amateur
actor loses much of its glamour, sir,
when you must become slave to
made-over barn!
why can't, say, five Of these lead
ing groups forget their plans, join
hands long enough to take over some
centrally located, already built down.
town theater. Does the fact that the
five would alternate on the same stage
necessarily mean that vigorous COM
petition must cease? BY communizing
their theater needs they would obtain
the best rentals within reach of each.
There is no need for anything but
q common house manager. Each Of
the groups has its directors and tech
nicians, the majority of whom are ex-
cellent And II they aren't, what Of
it? With the actors. they're learning.
That is the purpose of amateur dra-
matics.
Why don't the executive officers OF
1t over?
If you feel it necessary you may
use my name, which is Gerald Miller"
X x
MR.. MILLER will have to excuse
AA us if we think it wise to use his
name. Being leader in current dra-
matte affairs of the city Che is at pres
ent directing the Drama Guilds pro-
duction Of Both Your Houses") he
knows whereof he speaks. In agree
ment and rebuttal to his persuasive
letter, we present the following letter:
Dear sir: We made the mistake Of
suggesting three years ago that there
was no such thing as Little Theater
in Washington. At that time we were
flooded with burst of irate letters
from local theSpians, saying that their
feelings had been very much hurt
why. we never knew. STILL feelings
were hurt, and three or four local
groups spilled tears for several weeks
over the fact that they had not been
recognized as champions in the i'm
portant art of the drama. Something
which they were and are.
by Little Theater We meant the
kind which you have suggested in your
interesting letter-a Little Theater
which is actually big theater-the
sort Of q venture that may safely be
referred to when an out-of-town
visitor says. Now, tell me what you
have that compares to the Pasadena
Players, ETC. If you have been to the
Pasadena Play House you know that
1t Is not vast organiZa ton, rich with
pride and lathered with patrons. 1t
is an informal workshop as well as
industry is studied and which sees to
it that no student is allowed profess
sionally on its stage until he has
passed certain fundamental require
mentS of the theater Thus, even if
you are Katherine Hepburn. you can
not set a finger on that stage until
you have become versed in certain
allied subjects (stage craftsmanship.
etc., and know the theater from the
ground up.
THE reason, three years ago, that
we stated that Washington was minus
a community playhouse and hence a
Little Theater was for the simple
reason that there was no community
playhouse or Little Theater-and there
isn't right now. When, therefore, you
speak about three or four of these
small local groups getting together,
you speak about something which is
in the minds and hearts Of a great
many, but which has yet again been
thwarted time and time again by
those who have only selfish principles
at heart.
1T is an amazing fact, but true
that there Is more strife among anna
teur players than there is out in the
cold world of professional drama. For
some peculiar reason, the person who
has less time to devote to the theater
is more wrought up about it than
those who spend their lives to its in
terests. The theater with them be-
comes not an art but form of per-
sonal advertisement; it flowers and
sprouts like a fruit tree so long as it
presents them as shining example.
II, however, new and thus hostile
influence makes itself known, the tree
becomes dry, its leaves wither and its
roots run afoul in the ground.
ITO insure the success of a Little
Theater in town you would thus
have to remove that bitterness of
which you speak and turn the light
of humility and understanding on
a few people who believe that the
local theater cannot exist without
them.
strangely enough. most of these
people are darn good actors. The
city is thick with some of the best
thespians In the land. You have
only to have witnessed two or three
local performances in the past few
weeks to realize what really fine actors
and actresses there are at hand. The
town can. for instance, point with
pride to the work that Maude Howell
Smith, Ida Garrett Mattingly, Ann
Ives, Catherine McCord, Eugene
Kressin, Mrs. Otto johnson, Helen
Shields, Richard Kreusberg and John
Sikken Ito mention only few have
done recently. The Drama Guild
turned out the best show of its
career when it presented Ladies Of
the Jury" Constance Connor Browns
presentation of 1.-THE Silver Cord"