The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-16


pulsation that it needs for COM
plete effectiveness. But the very
up Of the performance per-
mitted those Of us who were ia
miliar with it to study its elements
more clearly. This piece excels by
taking characteristic moments Of
everyday drama-most jof them
fairly banal when BADLY presented
on a purely factual level-and by
throwing them into lightning con-
traSt with one another creating the
sense Of an illuminating vision, a
message communicated with an in
escspable emotional conviction as
of a truth revealed in flash of in
spiration. The content of the piece
becomes not only creditable. but ex-
citing and thrilling in its Brightness,
though what it says is after all
quite simple and the details which
are used for saying it are ordinary.
That is why this piece-a slight
thing to be sure-should be used
for purposes of instruction by those
who are engaged in the task Of
evolving short dramatic forms for
the revolutionary platform.
The pitfall in most of these pieces
is that they either confne them
selves to a recitation of the most
elementary slogans or. when they
are more ambitious, develop into
routine skits making a very thread
bare dramatic narration Of stories
that are more graphic and con-
vincing when one reads them in a
Daily Worker or New Masses re-
port. What in life would be very
moving incident becomes in such
presentation half = convincing
slightly STACEY retelling of a thrice
told tale. Realism as such demands
thoroughnesS, and thoroughnsss of
this kind is almost impossible to
achieve in any but the longer forms.
UERE is the problem then: to be
IL brief and simple, but to achieve
at the same time theatrical novelty
and interest. To be true, but to be
pungent and unexpected even in
the use of the most usual mate
rails. Boots, Shoes, Amenl". the
contribution Of the American Youth
Club, shows real promise and
ability, but nevertheless is incon-
pletely successful because its per-
fectly valid story presented in
foreshortened realistic" form does
not altogether escape the curse of
triteness. On the other hand. PRO
fessor Schmaltzhsusen STEPS In"
presented by the New Experimental
Theatre, which is an attempt to
show the anarchy of capitalist eco
nomics in an amusingly vaudeville
esque way, fails because it is not
wittily written, not imaginatively
staged. much too long, and a little
slovenly rehesrsed.
The Ukrainian group was chosen
to represent the foreign language
contingent, despite the very funny
farcical satire on the Jewish Daily
Forward presented by the Coney Is
land Workers Club. This was flu
emily and automatically written with
a certain authentic SAVIOR unusual
in agit-prop sketches, and was
acted with considerable freedom
and natural energy. But the latter
piece compared with the Ukrainian.
was much too local in its interest.
too special in its content. The
Ukrainians overcame the language
barrier, made the social theology of
their number thoroughly clear, and
their simple but easy acting lent the
work a degree of racy charm. Their
make-ups, too, were better than
average, and except for a negligent
treatment of the final chorus of
workers displayed an almost pro-
fessional competence.
MORE competent than profess
iW SIGNALS, more attractive than
the most glorified showgirls, we're
the Young Pioneers in scenes from
Harry Alan Potamkin's Strike Me
Red" These pieces in themselves
point to the right way in the han
ding of children's material in revo-
lutionary education and in the rev.
dictionary theatre. The children
are not required to initiate grown
ups but are encouraged to use their
own directness, enthusiasm and
clarity. Rarely anywhere have we
seen such zest of performance.
such true rhythm, such sponta-
neous unity, such unselfconscious
adjustment to stage and audience.
And the variety of types-Negro
boys and girls, italians, Jews, Irish
all of them with fresh responses.
joyous discipline, delighted inter-
play and complete sense of belong
ing together offered not only the
highest point of the evenings plea
sure, but a thrilling symbol of the
future of the revolutionary prole-
tartan movement.
We say this with no feeling of
making a permissible exaggera :
tion.' but the fact of the matter is
all the workers theatres have much
to learn from these children of the
Young Pioneers Of America. The
applause and the cheers of the au-
dience were the abandoned kind
one never hears on Broadway and
which make the workers theatre
when its efforts "click" truly com
plete theatre.