A Word to Dramatic Clubs

A Word to Dramatic Clubs. by horace g. whitney, dramatic and music editor of the "deseret news."

In a few years— to be exact, on March 8, 1912— that historic temple of the drama, the Salt Lake Theatre, will celebrate its fiftieth birthday. Founded by President Brigham Young, as a place where amusement and instruc- tion might be blended, and the talents of the community encouraged, the old house, almost the only sur- vivor of its contemporaries through- out the land, still stands'as a monu- ment to the far sightedness, enter- prise and liberality of the great leader and his pioneer associates. What mutations and changes in the drama, what ebbs and flows in the public taste, the old theatre has wit- nessed during those fifty years! It

was erected in the middle of the three HORACE G. WHITNEY. decades which I always think of as the really golden period in the history of the American drama, the fifties, sixties, and seventies, a period that saw the advent of our

Forrests, Booths, McCulloughs, Barretts, Keenes, Adamses, Jeffersons, Cushmans, Neilsons, Haynes, Andersons, and of our never-to-be-forgotten New York, Boston and San Francisco stock companies. Dating from such a period, small wonder is it that the Salt Lake Theatre should be regarded by many in the community not only as a monument to its pioneer builders, but as a reminder of the days when the drama stood for something real, and often-

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times, as a protest against the inanity, purposelessness and indecency to which the theatre of today has descended. a visit from some such rare player as Robert Man- It takes

tell,whose recent round of productions came like a revivifying breath from the good old dramatic days, to call sharply to our minds the vast gulf that separates the stage of the present from that of the days of our fathers. It was a reminder of the van-

ished best in the drama,, of the sort of theatrical fare on which our fathers and mothers were fed, of the class of entertainments that caused the Salt Lake Theatre to be built. Let us hope that such a vision of what the drama ought to be, and might be, with proper encouragement, will bear fruit in the minds of those who were fortunate enough to behold it. Mournful though the admission is, it must be said that in Salt Lake, as elsewhere, the taste for the cheap, frothy, and aimless, jn both drama and music, has reached almost the lowest -ebb. The flood of variety entertainments, moving pictures, sensational plays and plays whose themes skirt on the indecent, has literally

submerged the public taste, and it might be thought, in viewing the patronage often bestowed on the few really meritorious attractions which visit us from time to time, has totally obliterated the desire for the clean, pure, and uplifting on the stage. In one Salt Lake theatre there has regularly been presented, for some months past, a spectacle which is surely without a parallel. I refer to the epi- sodes, not seen once, twice or thrice, but many times, when an actor has appeared in a state of intoxication before audiences of ladies and young people who, nevertheless, throng the theatre when he appears, and who never seem know when they are to insulted. Such a thing would have been impossible not many years ago, and that it goes on now without arousing particular com- ment or protest, affords an eloquent comment on the status which has been reached by actors, managers and audiences alike.

Every one who has followed the trend of public amusements of late years must rejoice to note the awakening which is taking place in the midst of the Latter-day Saints in regard to this sub- ject. It is especially fitting that the hand of guidance and cor- rection should be extended from the Mutual Improvement Associa-

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tions of the Church; that they can exert a powerful influence, there can be no two opinions. Nearly every ward has its amuse- ment committee, appointed by the bishopric, and regularly sus- tained by the people at their conferences, with the other ward officials. These committees are powerful agencies, and if the Mutual Improvement Associations vvork in harmony with them, as they should do, great good can be accomplished. These amuse- ment committees ought to be made up of bright, wide awake minds, of young men and women who, if possible, have had exper- ience in music, the drama or art of some class; those who know the good from the bad, who are in touch with what is going on in the world, who read, and who keep in communication with dramatic societies, clubs, or the other wards of greater age and experience, who are trying to exercise an elevating influence in the productions they put forward. To uplift, to instruct, at the same time that they amuse, ought to be their motto. Nothing is more painful to the discerning mind than to see in our missionary farewells, for instance, selections from the rag time, slang, or trivial classes of music.

In our musical renditions especially, care should be taken to secure selections of a higher grade than that which we often use. It is pleasant to note that the published programs of the joint meetings of the Mutual Improvement Associations on the first Sun- day of each month, show an improvement over those of only a short time ago. The ward authorities, who are accustomed to leave the choice of these numbers co the younger officials of the associations, should see that there is a kindly censorship exercised over the class and grade of selections announced for Sunday even- ing renditions. The careful president and amusement committee, by noting what other wards are doing, from the publication of these programs in the Deseret News and the Improvement Messenger, can soon become posted as to what represents the best in the list of renditions, and learn the class that ought to be avoided.

The amateur dramatic clubs and societies which are con- stantly springing up throughout the Church, especially in the

wards which are provided with suitable amusement halls, deserve encouragement, but they need, at the same time, the guiding hand

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of an experienced mentor, and if they have not such a one at their head or among their number, they ought to be required to work in harmony with, and under the direction of the amusement committee of their wards. There is so much to be avoided, such a wilderness of trash from which to choose, that the inexperienced are almost certain to select the wrong thing in making their choice of a play on which to begin work. Assuming that the local forces have only a fair amount of histrionic talent, there is a limit- less field of standard plays, short or long, easy or difficult, suited to all grades, from which selection can be made. These are pub- lished at prices within the reach of all, and catalogues describing what the plays are like, naming the number of characters, describing the scenery, costumes, etc., required, can be obtained without any charge whatever. Those who have had experience along those lines, know where such catalogues and plays can be obtained. To such as have not, a letter to the Deseret News Book Store, which maintains a play department and has close relations with the leading dramatic publishers, or to the dramatic or music instructor of the University of Utah, the Latter-day Saints' Univer- sity in Salt Lake, the Brigham Young University of Provo, or the Agricultural College of Logan, will bring the necessary advice and counsel as to the proper steps to be taken. While you are choosing, let me advise that the widest of berths' be given to the "blood and thunder" dramas, plays of gore and revenge, and dramas or comedies in which the sex problem is made to play a leading part, and that preference be given to the clean English comedies and dramas, such as Robertson and Henry J. Byron delighted the world with a few years ago. Such plays as Our Boys, Uncle, Sweethearts, School, Caste, Engaged, Home, etc., are samples of good language and interesting plots, and they point a clean and healthy moral at the same time. A very entertaining and instructive evening's entertainment, and one that gives opportunity to a large amount of talent, is to arrange a concert program interspersed with recitations, vocal and instrumental music, etc., as a first part, and to conclude with a comedy or farce which runs thirty or forty minutes. There is

an endless from which to choose of such works; one act field

pieces that can be recommended are such as My Turn Next,

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Lend me Five Shillings, A Clerical Error, The Highland Legacy, Old Cronies, A Cup of Tea, The Happy Pair, Barbara, Sunset, My Milliner's Bill, Comedy and Tragedy, Drifted Apart, etc. A number of these are serious and should not be attempted unless the talent selected to portray them is of a high character. One act operas and operettas are also most pleasant forms of amuse- ment, and correspondence with any of the leading music firms will bring a list of works well within the average company's ability to render. If your society or club is older and more experienced and can depend upon the financial patronage that will justify it, copy- righted plays such as Esmeralda, Hazel Kirke, Young Mrs. Win- throp, the Banker's Daughter, Confusion, The Private Secretary, The Silver King, An American Citizen, The Money Spinner, etc., can all be recommended, though some of them require special scenery.

And while on the subject of these copyrighted plays, let me add this remark, that the dramatic organizations among the Latter-day Saints should take their stand on the side of those who accord to the authors of these plays their undoubted right to be paid for the products of their brains. The law protects the author who copyrights his play, just as it does the inventor who patents his invention, and the man, woman, or society who appropriates the ideas of an author, simply violates the command- ment which "Thou shalt not steal." says, The land is full of pirates and unauthorized agents who sell stolen versions of stand- ard plays at "cut rates." If you are ambitious to produce copy-

righted plays, deal with the author or his representative; the old Home Dramatic Club, of which ex-Governor Wells and Bishop 0. F. Whitney were once members, established itself strongly with the foremost dramatic publishers of the country by paying the due royalties to the authors of the copyrighted plays they brought out, and it is pleasant to know that the various ambitious produc- tions of the dramatic departments of our several state and Church universities and colleges, are all made after due and proper arrangements with the owner of the plays. The laborer is worthy of his hire.