228 DRAMA 



in London. Besides this and Mr. Yeats' dramatic poem " Countess Cathleen," the 

 Abbey Theatre company produced Mr. Lennox Robinson's " Patriot," Mr. T. C. Mur- 

 ray's " Maurice Harte," Mr. William Boyle's " Family Failing " and Lady Gregory's 

 clever little farce "The Bogie Men." Miss Horniman's well-known company from 

 Manchester also made its appearance at the Coronet Theatre, and has since established 

 its position as one of the best and smartest of companies which has ever visited London. 

 It is to Miss Horniman that we owe " Hindle Wakes," by Mr. Stanley Houghton, to 

 which reference has already been made, and a second piece by the same author, entitled 

 " The Younger Generation." There were also one or two sincere and capable artists 

 engaged in these ventures, whose names deserve mention Miss Sara Allgood and Mr. 

 Arthur Sinclair, of the Abbey Theatre, Miss Irene Rooke and Miss Goodall, of the Man- 

 chester company. 



Repertory Theatres. We have already touched the fringe of one of the great modern 

 movements of our time in England the rise of the Repertory Theatre. In the old days 

 'Only known by the verbose reminiscences of actors long past their prime stock com- 

 panies used to be an admirable training school for young aspirants to the stage. Then 

 came a period in which the provincial towns only received with gloomy acquiescence the 

 theatrical successes of the Metropolis represented by touring companies of often mediocre 

 excellence. Nowadays many provincial centres have started their own theatre, and 

 have supported companies of their own. For instance, there are repertory theatres 

 at Dublin, Manchester, Glasgow and Liverpool, and the movement is making headway 

 in many directions and by many methods. Birmingham, for instance, was actively at 

 work in 1912 preparing for its repertory theatre shortly to be opened. Leeds was se- 

 curing a local guarantee for an experiment of the same kind. Bradford has founded a 

 Playgoers Society, with somewhat similar objects, while Edinburgh, Bolton, Stockport, 

 Sheffield, and other towns are showing much activity in the same direction. Move- 

 ments of this kind cannot fail to be beneficial to the cause of drama, and they apparent- 

 ly justify the assertion already made that London, which, of course, has no repertory 

 theatre, has ceased to be, in any true sense of the word, the dramatic capital of England. 

 What is, however, often forgotten in this reference is the patent fact that London has 

 a population drawn not only from many classes, but from many countries a floating 

 cosmopolitan population which, perhaps naturally, looks upon the theatre solely as a 

 place for whiling away a few idle hours after dinner, and which, therefore, is inclined to 

 prefer a musical comedy, or even the turns at a music hall, to sterner and more indigesti- 

 ble dramatic fare. 



The Censorship. One other feature of general interest to every English Drama may 

 be added to those already mentioned. For some time past there has existed a certain 

 impatience with the control which the Lord Chamberlain has exercised through the 

 dramatic censorship on the production of plays. A Parliamentary committee appoint- 

 ed for the purpose of examining into this matter sat for a considerable time, with Mr. 

 Herbert Samuel, afterwards Postmaster General, as chairman, but its recommendations 

 remain a dead letter. Meanwhile, certain changes have occurred. Lord Sandhurst 

 became Lord Chamberlain, with Sir Douglas Dawson as the chief of his staff. Mr. G. 

 A. Redford, who undoubtedly made some mistakes, has retired from the office of Reader 

 of Plays, and the vacant post has been given to Mr. Charles Brookfield, a clever and 

 talented man who has been more identified with the lighter than the serious drama, and 

 who is the author of a well-known piece of somewhat dubious ethical tendency called 

 " Dear Old Charley." After the lapse of a few weeks an assessor was appointed in the 

 person of Mr. Ernest Bendall, who had been for years a dramatic critic. The reorganised 

 office has, on the whole, worked smoothly, and the friction between drama and censor, 

 notorious in recent years, has become inconsiderable. There are two cases, however, 

 in which some injustice probably was done to leading authors of distinction. Mr. Eden 

 Phillpotts' play " The Secret Woman " was refused a licence, whereupon twenty-four 

 authors issued a public protest and the play was performed six times in the afternoons, 

 under the management of Mr. Granville Barker. Mr. Israel Zangwill's play " The 



