Various - The Atlantic Book of Modern Plays

We are at present in the midst of a bewildering quantity ofplay-publication and production. The one-act play in particular,chiefly represented in this volume, appears to be taking theplace of that rather squeezed sponge, the short story, in thefavor of the reading public. Of course, this tendency has itsreaction in schoolrooms. One even hears of high-school classeswhich attempt to keep up with the entire output of such dramas inEnglish readings. If this is not merely an apologue, it iscertainly a horrible example. The bulk of current drama, as ofpublished matter generally, is not worthy the time of the Englishclass. Only what is measurably of rank, in truth and fineness,with the literature which has endured from past times can bedefended for use there. And we have too much that is both wellfitted to young people's keen interest and enjoyment, andbeautifully worthy as well, for time to be wasted upon the third-and fourth-rate.

Obviously, much of the best in modern play-writing has not beenincluded in this volume. Because of copyright complications theworks of Mr. Masefield, Mr. Shaw, Mr. Drinkwater, and Sir JamesBarrie are not here represented. The plays by these writers thatseem best fitted to use by teachers and pupils in high schools,together with a large number of other dramas for this purpose,are listed and annotated at the back of the book. Suggestions asto desirable inclusions and omissions will be welcomed by theeditor and the publishers.

Following in their own way the lead of the Thtre Libre in Parisand the Freie Bhne in Germany, and of the Independent and theRepertory theatres in Great Britain, numerous "little theatres"and drama associations in this country are giving impulsion anddirection to the movement for finer drama and more excellentpresentation. The Harvard dramatic societies, the MorningsidePlayers at Columbia, Mr. Alex Drummond's Community Theatre at theState Fair in Ithaca, the Little Country Theatre at Fargo, SouthDakota, and similar groups at the University of California andelsewhere, illustrate the leadership of the colleges. In manyhigh schools, as at South Bend, Indiana, more or less completeLittle Theatres are active. The Chicago Little Theatre, theWisconsin Dramatic Society, the Provincetown Players, theNeighborhood Playhouse, in New York, and others of that ilk, arewell known and influential. They are extending the tradition ofthe best European theatres in their attempts to cultivateexcellent and individual expression in drama. They realize thatplays must be tested by actual performance,though notnecessarily by the unnatural demands of success in competitionwith Broadway revues and farce-melodramas,and thus developedtoward a genuine artistic embodiment of the vast and varied life,the manifold and deep idealism of this country.

For their courteous and generous cooperation the editor isgreatly indebted to the authors and publishers of all the playsincluded. He is equally grateful to other dramatists who werepersonally as cordial in intention but quite impotent to grantcopyright privileges. In addition, he has received most friendlyand cordial criticism from friends and friendly strangers to whomhe appealedamong others, from Mr. Harold Brighouse; Mr.Theodore Hinckley, editor of "Drama"; Mr. Clarence Stratton, nowDirector of English at Cleveland, and author of a forthcomingbook on the Little Theatre in this country; Mr. Allan Monkhouse,author of "Mary Broome" and "War Plays"; Professor Allan Abbot,of Teachers College, Columbia University; Mr. Frank G. Thompkins,of Central High School, Detroit; Mrs. Mary Austin; Professor EarlB. Pence, of De Pauw University; Professor Brander Matthews; andMrs. Alice Chapin. Indebtedness to many lists is obvious,particularly to that of the Drama League and the National Councilof Teachers of English, and that of Professor Pence in the"Illinois Bulletin."

"Ile" is reprinted by special arrangement with the author andwith Boni and Liveright, publishers, New York. "Ile" is reprintedfrom the volume "The Moon of The Caribbees" and six other playsof the sea, which volume is one of the series of plays by Mr.O'Neill, the series including "Beyond the Horizon," a drama infour acts, "The Straw," a play in three acts and five scenes,"Gold," a play in four acts and "Chris" a play in four acts.

The elder Dumas, who wrote many successful plays, as well as thefamous romances, said that all he needed for constructing a dramawas "four boards, two actors, and a passion." What he meant bypassion has been defined by a later French writer, FerdinandBrunetire, as a conflict of wills. The Philosopher of Butterbiggens,whom you will meet early in this book, points out that "what youare all the time wanting" is "your own way." When two strongdesires conflict and we wonder which is coming out ahead, we saythat the situation is dramatic. This clash is clearly defined inany effective play, from the crude melodrama in which the forcesare hero and villain with pistols, to such subtle conflicts,based on a man's misunderstanding of even his own motives andpurposes, as in Mr. Middleton's "Tides."

In comedy, and even in farce, struggle is clearly present. Hereour sympathy is with people who engage in a not impossiblecombatagainst rather obvious villains who can be unmasked, oragainst such public opinion or popular conventions as can beoverset. The hold of an absurd bit of gossip upon stupid peopleis firm enough in "Spreading the News"; but fortunately it mustyield to facts at last. The Queen and the Knave of Hearts aresufficiently clever, with the aid of the superb cookery of theKnave's wife, to do away with an ancient and solemnly reverencedlaw of Pompdebile's court. So, too, the force of ancient loyaltyand enthusiasm almost works a miracle in the invalid veteran of"Gettysburg." And we feel sure that the uncanny powers of theBeggar will be no less successful in overturning the power of theKing in Mr. Parkhurst's play.

Again, in comedies as in mathematics, the problem is often solvedby substitution. The soldier in Mr. Galsworthy's "The Sun" isable to find a satisfactory and apparently happy ending withoutachieving what he originally set out to gain. And the same istrue of Jock in Mr. Brighouse's "Lonesome-Like." Or the playwhich does not end as the chief character wishes may still provenot too serious because, as in "Fame and the Poet," the situationis merely inconvenient and absurd rather than tragic. Now andthen it is next to impossible to tell whether the ending istragic or not; in the "Land of Heart's Desire" we must firstdecide whether our sympathies are more with Shawn Bruin and withMaire's love for him, or with her keen desire to go