May, 1914 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
375 
A terrace of two levels here has great possibilities for a garden stage, the ivy wall 
forming the background and the pergola giving the suggestion of a house 
requirements and situa¬ 
tions better, and pro¬ 
duce a more harmonious 
■effect in the garden—as 
well as a more pleasing 
setting for plays, spec¬ 
tacles or entertainments 
of any kind, as these 
may be given. 
Commonly, of course, 
we think of a play house 
as a building with two 
floor levels, the higher 
devoted to the perform¬ 
ance, the lower for the 
audience. This is purely 
an arbitrary assumption 
of the relation between 
audience and perform¬ 
ers, however, and it need 
not of necessity be car¬ 
ried out in the outdoor 
theatre, if the nature of 
the site available makes 
such relation difficult to accomplish. Sometimes, indeed, it may 
happen that the lay of the land, using it to best advantage gen¬ 
erally, will actually reverse the positions, putting audience higher 
than performers; and this is perfectly practicable and not in the 
least a hindrance to the carrying out of the scheme. It only 
means that all the plan must be carefully and definitely calcu¬ 
lated to assure the uninterrupted vision of auditors in every posi¬ 
tion ; and it amounts in effect, of course, to placing the audience 
all in a balcony instead of in a pit. 
A dozen places may be available for auditorium and stage on 
a place, or in a garden of very modest size. The first step towards 
realizing the garden theatre is, of course, to select from these the 
very best site; and to select the best, means to examine each with 
a certain standard of requirements in mind. Comfort, seclusion, 
adaptability and accessibility—these are the four principal points 
to be considered, the first being the most important, of course, for 
no one is going to enjoy anything if physical discomfort presses 
heavily on the consciousness. Moreover, little can be done to 
create the conditions necessary for comfort where natural condi¬ 
tions are unfavorable; whereas a site may be secluded and 
adapted and inaccessibility may be overcome by judicious treat¬ 
ment. 
The greatest attributes of comfort in the summer time lie in 
shade and cooling breezes, unquestionably; so the selection of 
the site should be dominated by this consideration of proper ex¬ 
posure. And all planting should be arranged to provide the 
shade desired over auditorium and stage, with a view to making 
the most of this exposure and offering never the least obstruc¬ 
tion to a vagrant zephyr. 
A situation which brings stage and auditorium east and west 
of each other so that the entire side of the theatre may receive 
the southern breeze will be found to meet the requirements 
usually than one which places them in north-south relative posi¬ 
tions. Of course, if the prevailing summer breeze is from an¬ 
other direction, rather than from the south, however, this will 
not hold. But it is simply a matter of planning to have the side 
open to the prevailing wind, whencesoever it may come. 
Where stage and auditorium space cannot both be exposed to 
it, sacrifice the stage always to the comfort of the rest; and in all 
else consider the auditor rather than the entertainer. 
While shade over all would undoubtedly be agreeable, a stage 
all in shadow is not as picturesque as one whereon the sunlight 
falls for at least a third of its area. And many of the Italian 
garden theatres boast no shade whatsoever over any portion; 
but this means, of 
course, that they were 
meant for evening en¬ 
tertainment o n 1 y— 
which is limiting their 
use altogether too 
strictly when their 
really great possibili¬ 
ties and advantages 
are considered. Pro¬ 
vide shade for audi¬ 
tors and part shade 
for the stage, and 
thus make it possible 
to realize to the full¬ 
est degree all these 
advantages. 
An interesting ap¬ 
proach to the theatre 
where this is in the 
midst of other garden 
features on a large 
place, or where any 
real approach is pos- 
s i b 1 e, should b e 
planned—f or the 
sense of departing 
from the ordinary 
into the extraordi¬ 
nary, out from the 
actual and perhaps 
the commonplace, 
into the make-be¬ 
lieve and unusual is 
to be aroused and 
emphasized by every 
possible touch. And 
i n garden design 
nothing emphasizes 
any given feature or 
point quite to the de¬ 
gree that “leading 
up to it literally 
does. Lead up to the 
theatre, therefore, 
by some means or 
This open space in the garden among the willows is naturally suited for an outdoor stage. It fills 
many of the requirements for a garden theatre, such as comfort, seclusion and adaptability 
The charm of the outdoor play lies in such natural 
scenery as this 
