r~ UC-NRLF 1 OMMUNITy Drama Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation i http://www.archive.org/details/communitydramasuOOcommrich Community Drama Community Drama Suggestions for A Community Wide Program of Dramatic Activities Community Service One Madison Avenue, New York City November^ ig2i Price, 60 Cents qobs Copyright, 1922 By Community Service (incorporated) New York Table of Contents PAGE Foreword 4 Introduction 5 Chapter I. Some of the Factors Involved in the Organization of Community Drama 7 Creating the Desire for Commun- ity Drama 8 Knowing the City's Resources ... 9 Individual Dramatic Groups ... 11 II. Organizing for Community Drama. . . 19 III. The Drama Institute 29 IV. Forms of Drama and the Community Drama Program 37 V. Play Production 45 Some of the Principles of Play Production 45 Scenery 49 Lighting 53 Make-up 60 VI. The Community Dramatic Center. . . 64 Using Existing Facilities 64 The Special Dramatic Center ... 65 The Workshop 66 The Community Theatre 69 VII. Educational Dramatics and Children's Theatres 78 VIII. Pageantry 86 IX. Outdoor Theatres 98 X. Rural Dramatic Organization 106 Appendix 119 48682S Foreword ^^ripHE DRAMA," says Professor Arvold, "is JL a medium through which America must inevitably express its highest form of democracy. . . . When it can be used as an instrument to get people to express themselves in order that they may build up a bigger and better community life it will then have performed a real service to society." The conception of the play, the pageant, of all forms of the drama as a fundamental and vital means of self-expression for the individual and the community, has ccme into its own. From the Little Theatre of North Dakota, the Carolina Play Makers of the University of North Carolina, to the neighborhood theatres of New York and other large cities, small and large communities are every- where discovering the power of the drama in develop- ing inner resources, in creating an expressive art life, in interpreting people to one another and in building up a bigger and better community life. This booklet has been prepared with the purpose of making available for dramatic workers, com- munity groups and all interested in building up community drama in arty of its phases, information and suggestions based on experience and successful accomplishment. I Introduction WHAT IS COMMUNITY DRAMA? a T AM not interested in art for the few," said Sam Hume, speaking before a group of Community Service workers. "I am interested for all. It has a democratic appeal. It must be for the people as a whole and it must give them opportunity for participa- tion." Community drama is drama of the people, by the people, for the people. It provides an opportunity for all the people who want to express themselves through dramatic art. It develops the inner resources of the individual by constantly evolving new interests and ideas. It makes leisure hours creative. It affords a channel for creative work along the line of things which can be written or produced. When a play or a pageant is actually written in a community, and produced and acted by its own people — that is a step in the right direction. Community drama has unlimited powers of growth. It gives one set of individuals, the players, a chance to develop unused talents. It calls into play the resources of still another set of people — those of the community who have a contribution to make along the line of all the manifold forms of art which enter into drama production. It utilizes all existing facilities. There is an opportunity for every city to build up the use of high school auditoriums as places where plays may be given. Churches, parish. houses, settlements, town halls, factories may all serve as neighborhood theatres where groups of people may find their recreation through dramatic expression. Community drama at its best has deeply influenced the [ Fire 1 professional theatre. Not only is this true of the com- munity theatre of today but of the theatre of yesterday. Pre-Shakespearian drama was almost wholly in the hands of amateurs. Merchants and wheelwrights, weavers and dyers, took part in plays — each guild striving in friendly rivalry to make its play and its settings the best. This fine folk art broadened popular appreciation of the best in drama, and made straight the way for the great dramatists who were to come. It helped to send an imaginative audience into the theatre. "Without great audiences there cannot be great poets," was the dictum of Walt Whitman — a dictum which has proved true. To secure the wide participation on the part of all community groups, which was the firm foundation of the drama of yesterday, is the purpose of community drama of today. But the fact that community drama does not limit participation to a highly trained group does not mean that standards are to be lowered. David Mannes has recently reminded us that the word amateur means "art lover." Community players are art lovers, experimenters with the art of the theatre for the love of it. Standard is the touchstone of community drama. To do well whatever is undertaken should be the watch- word of community drama. Six CHAPTER I SOME OF THE FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE ORGANIZATION OF COMMUNITY DRAMA IF community drama means wide-spread participation in dramatics on the part of many people; if it means an ever-growing appreciation of the best in the drama and of art standards, how is a program to be built up which will be jJermanent and not sporadic — which will move in ever widening circles? In planning for the organization of the dramatic forces of a community and the building up of community life through the drama, certain essentials stand out as fundamentally important. There must, first of all, be an understanding of what community drama is and what the community values involved are, so that all plans will work toward the definite objective of community-wide participation and a development, however gradual, of art standards. There must be created a real desire on the part of the community for community drama. There must be a knowledge of the city's resources. There must be trained leadership and the building up of strong volunteer leaders. There must be built up an organization which will be widely representative of community groups and of individuals who have some contribution to make. Any plan of organization evolved must work toward the relating of the various dramatic groups so that their work will not only have value in their own locality but will bear a definite relationship to the dramatic work of the whole city. Plans for organization, if they are to be compre- [ Seven ] hensive, must take into consideration the establishment of centers wherever feasible ; the development of educa- tional dramatics; the provision for outdor plays and pageants and the working up of a forward-looking program representing a continuous development for a series of years. Creating the Desire for Community Drama Conditions within the community must, of course, determine the method of approach, which cannot always be along the same lines. Some dramatic leaders in going into a community where there is little interest in com- munity drama have found it helpful to put on a festival quickly arranged, but well done, which will draw in a large number of participants, or to produce a play in arranging for which many people have a share. It is important that whatever- is produced shall not extend over a long period of time. Many feel that a pageant requiring a large number of rehearsals would tend to exhaust people. Whatever is planned would be merely for the purpose of arousing interest and giving tnc people of the community a taste of what community drama is and thereby creating a desire for more. Once interest is aroused it is possible to proceed with the organization. Constance D'Arcy Mackay has suggested that one means of arousing enthusiasm in groups of people is to read a play aloud at a gathering of representative people, afterward showing a small stage model artisti- cally designed and lighted. There may well, too, be plates of the accompanying costumes. Another method of interesting a community not pre- disposed to community drama. Miss Mackay has sug- gested, is to have an example of spontaneous story play- ing or educational dramatic work given by a group of children. When people see the power of drama actually • I Eight I being used as an educational force they are more readily induced to make further use of it. Knowing the City's Resources In making plans for the thorough organization of community drama which will mean the building up of a real art life, it is essential to have a knowledge of the city's dramatic resources. Those who are responsible for the development "must therefore ask themselves the following questions : (1) Has a complete dramatic survey of the com- munity been made? (2) Are there any groups making the promotion of dramatics their chief purpose? (3) What are the libraries doing to stimulate inter- est in community drama? (4) What are the schools, settlements, Young Women's Christian Association, Young Men's Christian Association, women's clubs, factories and other local groups doing to promote drama? (5) What is the church doing? Have any Biblical plays been produced in the Sunday Schools? Have other plays been produced? (6) Has there ever been any city-wide celebration? (7) How are the various holidays being accented? (8) How many outdoor plays and pageants have already been given? Have they been of a fine type? (9) What is the standard of children's and young people's dramatics in the community? (10) Has anything been done to develop educational dramatics? (11) What is the standard of adult dramatics in the community? I Nint J (12) Has a circuit for groups of players been arranged ? (13) What is the problem of the regular profes- sional theatre? (14) Are the movies good, bad or indifferent? (15) If the town is of medium size, is there a good local stock company? (16) Does this stock company co-operate with the schools, giving an occasional Shakespearian play at the time when the schools are studying Shakespeare? (17) What is the problem of the vaudeville houses? Are they good, bad or indifferent? How much do the young people of the community frequent the vaudeville houses? (18) How many auditoriums are available? (19) Are these auditoriums adequate? Are they equipped with new or old scenery? If they are equipped with old scenery can anything be done to better what exists? Secure all possible in- formation regarding all the facilities of existing auditoriums. (20) Is there a permanent meeting place where all local dramatic information is kept on file? (21) Is there a community theatre which focuses all the art activities of the community? (22) Is there an open air theatre where outdoor plays and pageants can be produced? (23) How can a strong permanent community drama committee best be formed? (24) In attacking the dramatic problem is it best to begin in a large way or a small way? (What has already been done will influence the answer to this question.) ( Ten ] (25) In order to make an entering dramatic wedge in a given community what should be the first point of contact? The dramatic club? The schools? The churches? The factories? (26) How much expert leadership does the com- munity already possess? (27) Is there any attempt to train dramatic leaders? (28> Has a dramatic institute or conference ever been held in the community? What of outlying districts? If the city is a large one what is being done in the surburbs? If, on the other hand, the community has not more than 25,000 people, it is interesting to know what the smaller towns round about have been doing. Are they in need of help in their dramatic plans? Further, what can they suggest to the larger place? Very often the mouse can help the lion. The greater the number of people who are set to thinking along the line of their community's resources the more widespread will be the interest and the feeling of responsibility. Individual Dramatic Groups A very important factor in the organization of com- munity drama lies in the individual dramatic group whose work can be greatly strengthened through a plan of organization which will help to relate the small dramatic groups which should be brought together if the full community values in community drama are to be brought into play. It is important that these groups shall be made to feel that a plan which means a closer knitting together of the dramatic interests of the community will not involve a loss of independence or of entity, but will make it possible for each to make a greater contribution to the community. [ Eleven ] The unrelated dramatic groups In any town or city usually consist of club groups, including dramatic clubs, boys' clubs, women's clubs, church groups and Indus- trial groups. Each group will have to be considered as a separate unit, and then in its relation to the whole. In a large city, however, there will be groups on the East Side and groups on the West Side who never come in contact, who know little of each other's work. A remedy for this can be found In Group Circuits. Group Circuits One of the finest plans ever evolved In community drama was that of the social settlements of Boston, which organized a settlement dramatic circuit. Thus a one-act play or group of one-act plays or a long play would be acted throughout the whole city, the players going from settlement to settlement In rotation. It Is easy to see how this eliminated all duplication of effort or duplica- tion of plays, since all plans were made In advance. The players In each settlement gained Immeasurably from the contact and experience that such a circuit gave them. This is a plan that can be adopted by the dramatic clubs of any town or city. A further suggestion for relating dramatic groups lies In the lending by one group to another of a volunteer worker who is particularly skillful and talented along some special line, such as costume planning or scenery making. This, too, results In a strengthening of the feeling that the small dramatic groups have a real con- tribution to make to community life. Assembling Groups for a Festival Whenever it is necessary to assemble these unrelated dramatic groups for a festival the plan of the Boston settlements may be referred to. As each settlement had [ Twelve ] its own well trained group, they were all organized and ready whenever a city festival was on foot. Moreover, each group learned something from its work with the other groups. Most of these groups found that the one-act play was the best for circuit purposes, though on special occasions such as Easter and Christmas, longer plays were given. Honorable mention was made in all the newspapers of the best work done throughout the year. If possible the work of all such groups should be co-ordinated with the work of the Com- munity Theatre or Community Dramatic Center, Club Groups Every dramatic club, no matter how small, should be made to feel that its work is of value, that it has a definite part in the general dramatic plan. Whenever possible a circuit should be arranged for dramatic clubs whose standards warrant it. They may play in schools, settlements, parish houses, and before other dramatic clubs. Clubs Composed of Women Many clubs composed of women have dramatic com- mittees, some of which do excellent work; others do work which needs to be pulled up to standard as regards choice of plays, tempo, lighting, scenery and other fea- tures. Many women's clubs try to produce plays with casts in which some of the parts should really be played by men. This makes the work unconvincing. There are a number of remarkably good one-act plays written for casts of all women such as The Widoiz/s Veil by Alice Rossiter. In choosing a play with a cast of men and women which must be played by a cast composed entirely of women it is best to choose a romantic costume play such as The Turtle Dove, a Chinese fantasy, by Margaret Scott Oliver. Circuits can be arranged among the [ Thirteen ] women's clubs. A list of suitable plays for women's clubs can be had by applying to Bureau of Educational Dramatics, Community Service, 1 Madison Avenue, New York City. Industrial Groups It is very important that the industrial workers of a community, so many of whom are foreign born, shall have the opportunity for self-expression and participa- tion which dramatics offer. There is a great need for that contact through community drama with other com- munity groups which makes for neighborliness and sympathetic understanding. As Joseph Lee has said : "Unfortunately most work under our industrial civiliza- tion is drudgery, which means that it is not suited to our human interests. . . . Our community singing, dances and dramatics bring back something of the ancient village life. Recreation is the restorer to the modern world of these ingredients, of man's spiritual ration omitted from our civilization, without which he is not quite alive." By utilizing what already exists much can be accom- plished. In large cities many industrial groups have dramatic societies which are continually giving plays acted in their own tongue. New York has many such groups of players, including Yiddish, Bohemian, Polish and Russian groups. Where such groups are discovered in any city or town they may always be applied to when a large city festival is being planned. They will add to such a festival much beautiful folk art in the way of costumes, songs and dances. Drama within the Industry Every effort should be made, as has been pointed out, to bring about for those who work in factories the broadest possible participation in community drama. Very often, however, plays and other forms of the [ Fourteen drama are important phases of life within the factory and serve a variety of purposes. Sometimes, for pur- poses of instruction in advertising or selling methods, ideas are given dramatic presentation. Again, a play in which members of the office staff and other employees come together may be used to increase the esprit de corps of the workers. It is important, too, that one working group, the members of which may be of one nationality, shall present in dramatic form for the bene- fit of their fellow workers some of their customs, tradi- tions and folk lore. The folk festival into which folk songs and dances are interwoven is therefore excellent both for use within the factory and in the community, and in participation with other groups in festivals and pageants. The suggestion is made that much creative ability, might be stimulated by the offering of prizes to workers for original plays or pageants. This is particularly true of the factories which have their own theatre and often their resident dramatic director. One of the most notable examples of the theatre within the industry is that of the Goodyear Rubber Company at Akron, Ohio, where plays, operas and pantomimes are given by the employees. Dramatic Material Pageants in which the audience participates as chorus have very great value for industry, though only a few attempts have been made in this field. For a suggestive industrial ceremonial see Appendix A. For factory groups which have already had practice in dramatics and singing The Will of Song by Percy Mackaye will be found suggestive. Among the plays with large group effects given by factory workers may be mentioned The Forest Ring by William C. DeMille, A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespare and DeKoven's Robin Hood. [ Fifteen ] Too many dramatic workers make the mistake of thinking that a cheaply popular type of play is all that appeals either to industrial groups or to an audience of their friends. A group of factory girls in a New Jersey city presented a play of Chinese costumes and imagery, The Turtle Dove, by Margaret Scott Oliver. The director used the educational dramatic method and brought out all the cultural points in the play. The girls became interested in Chinese costumes, customs and manners. The}^ delighted in the color and in plan- ning the scenes. Within a short time another director took up work with this group and presented a minstrel show with the same girls. The minstrel show went ofif as well as would be expected, but after it production interest waned and the dramatic group distintegrated. The minstrel show had no permanent interest, no power of growth. On the other hand, the play a little beyond their powers held the girls and gave them something to work for. The minstrel show that took little effort failed to stir more than a passing interest. In groups of this sort it is best to begin with a simple yet interesting play and go steadily forward to more advanced plays. Dramatic workers who have had ex- perience in this work declare that the best type of plays which can be brought to industrial workers are those which have in them a breath of the out-of-doors and which devolep an appreciation of the beauties of nature. A fine play which takes a group of industrial workers imaginatively into the heart of a forest is giving them pictures to which they can return after the day's work. Rehearsals for industrial workers should not last more than an hour at a time. Over-fatigue should 'be avoided. Any pageant given in connection with a manu- facturing group should be produced in the nearest park or armory or hall, but not in the factory yard if it is barren and ugly, though occasional rehearsals may take place in the yard. [ Sixteen ] Church Groups All through the Middle Ages, the church was the home of dramatic experiment. The drama as we know it today came from church drama. Miracle and morality plays were acted throughout the length and breadth of Europe. The fact that the drama is now being in- creasingly used in the churches does not mean something new. It simply means that drama has gone back to its original home. Where drama is 'used in the church it is naturally religious in nature. There is a wealth of fine material to be had. Among it may be mentioned the old morality play of Everyman; the Star of Bethlehem by Gayley, Why the Chimes Ring by Elizabeth MacFadden, The Pilgrim and the Book by Percy Mackaye, Eager Heart by A. M. Buckton and the Dramatic Services for Easter and Christmas arranged by Roseamond Kimball, all of which can be ordered from Samuel French and Company, New York City. Each of these plays has had church production. For Sunday school use there are several books of Bible plays. One that is widely used is Bible Plays for Children by May Stein Soble. These plays are arranged according to the educational dramatic method with a preface which fully explains how to produce them. Among other books dealing with the subject is Drama- tization of Bible Stories by Elizabeth Erwin Miller, University of Chicago Press. There are many groups of parish players in parish houses where the one-act play is in wide use. For this, experience has proved that the folk play and the poetic play are the best, such plays as The Land of Heart's Desire by William Butler Yeats and Spreading the News by Lady Gregory. (See Appendix 3 for list of drama for churches.) Seventeen ] City-ivide Organisation The whole problem of dramatic engineering is so new that it has to be worked out step by step. A plan should be evolved that will, on certain occasions, unite all the dramatic groups of the city or town, and yet be elastic enough to leave each group free to work out its own problems. How is this to be done? As a rule, the best way in which to draw all the dramatic forces of a city together and inter-relate them, is to have a dramatic festival, pageant, civic masque, or outdoor play in which large numbers of supernumeraries are used, and in which the related activities give scope to hundreds of people along lines of designing, dyeing, costuming, organizing, drilling, singing and dancing as well as along executive lines. Civic pageants or festivals must not be given too often or else they become monotonous. The plan of Peterborough, New Hampshire, where a large festival is given every four or five years with minor festivals or plays in between, is an example which cities, towns and country villages may well follow. The outdoor play which has large group effects can be readily sub- stituted for the pageant, and will not become so monotonous. Civic Celebrations Advantage should always be taken of such national occasions as the Pilgrim Tercentenary or the Shakespeare Tercentenary. It is possible to work out a plan using the birthday of some local or state celebrity such as was done in Indiana for James Whitcomb Riley. Such celebrations should be made to permeate the life of the city through every known channel. [ Eighteen \ CHAPTER II ORGANIZING FOR COMMUNITY DRAMA IT may sometimes seem, in communities where re- sources are limited and there is apparently little leadership, that the building up of an organization for community drama is an impossible task. Experience has shown, however, that by starting in a very small way, by meeting the immediate need and by working slowly, the ultimate goal will eventually be reached. A group of girls in one small community started a dramatic work which grew by preparing a wardrobe of costumes, many of them collected from the attics of townspeople, which was sent to groups throughout the county wishing to use it. In another community a dramatic program was initiated by a group of girls who devised some simple scenery which could be shipped to various parts of the district. A start may sometimes be made by getting the local library to place on its shelves books relating to the drama. The discovery of the people in the community who are interested in the drama and who have some knowledge of its technique represents still another way of making a start. Leadership is the most important element entering into the development of community drama and very careful consideration must therefore be given the build- ing up of a working organization which will assume responsibility for the working out of the program, will see that the value of all work is conserved and that there is a continuous growth and a constantly widening plan which will permeate all parts of the community. The building up of the working organization offers splended possibilities because of the wide range of inter- ests which may be represented. Community drama calls upon the resources of many kinds of people. There are the people interested in writing the plays and there are those who want to produce them. There are others whose abilities lie along the line of scenery making, of costuming and of production. Still another group will be found who, because of their art interests and their desire for the progress of their community in art de- velopment, will give of their time and energy to foster the movement. Those who are talented in music have their contribution to make. There are, too, the people whose executive ability makes it possible for them to under- take the business details and to make successful a com- munity venture along art lines. These people may be called together to discuss the needs and resources of the community and from it will develop a working organization which with its various committees will call into play the, talents and abilities of many people. The Permanent Committee The permanent committee which will evolve from the calling together of the people of a community most interested in the drama and best fitted to develop a work- ing plan should be widely representatice of community interests. Literary clubs, musical clubs, the churches, settlements, schools factories, patriotic societies, the American Legion and other groups will all have their contribution of leadership to offer. Very often in initia- ting the program such a committee or group will have few resources and facilities with which to work. This, however, ought not to discourage any group from begin- ning activities, starting with whatever leadership is available and developing the work as leadership and resources are built up. f Tufttty 1 The Experience of One City The experience of a Southern city is typical of what may be done when interest is aroused and shows how a plan of organization may be developed. Here the community drama organizer of Community Service invited to an informal conference six people of the community who were known to be particularly in- terested in community drama. At this conference there was a discussion of the possibility of developing a permanent dramatic organization in the city, and plans and programs were drawn up. Those present suggested, the names of forty-five others interested in dramatic work and invitations to a later conference were sent the people suggested. Twenty-five responded to the in- vitation and at the second conference the organization of a community drama club was launched. A chairman, vice-chairman, secretary and treasurer were elected at this meeting and a play reading section was organized in connection with the club. Following this conference invitations were sent to 200 people in the community to attend the one act play Suppressed Desires presented by members of the club in the auditorium of the Women's Club. One hundred twenty-two people attended the performance, given ap- proximately two weeks after the initiation of the move- ment, and much enthusiasm was expressed over the play which was beautifully staged and well produced. After the production the plans of the community drama club were presented to the audience and those present became members, paying one dollar membership dues. Since this production membership has grown rapidly and the program has developed steadily under the gen- eral community drama committee and its various sub- committees. Each month a one act play of little theatre standards is presented, the admission charge both to members and non-members being seventy-five cents. A Twenty-one ] diflFerent group presents play each time. Once every two weeks the play reading section holds play reading evenings which are free to members. At these evenings there are special evenings such as a talk on barnstorming in France, a discussion of a professional play running in New York which one of the members attended, and various other programs. One of the most significant results is that the community drama club has discovered a local dramatist and produced one of his plays. Organisation of Community Drama in a Middle Western City In another city where it was desired to lay a thorough foundation for community Jrama rather than to produce plays immediately, twenty-eight citizens were called to- gether to discuss the possibilities for dramatic develop- ment in their community. Those present selected nine individuals to serve on a committee of preliminary or- ganization who, in turn, chose for a permanent commit- tee of dramatic activities eleven people representing the interests of public and private schools, industrial plants, business clubs, social service agencies and the leading Protestant and Roman Catholic churches. The committee on preliminary organization further offered the names of people who might be asked to serve on such general committees as the Survey Committee and Educational Committe. For the various sub-com- mittees under the Educational Committee other names were offered. There were also presented the names of local people who had coached plays and pageants and had had experience along dramatic lines. The object of the committee on dramatic activities, as outlined, was as follows : to formulate policies, organize committee and serve in general as a sort of council: to draft eventually a constitution based on actual working possibilities and activities projected, and to emphasize at [ r-wenly-tu'v ] all times the need and value ot discovering and training the best local talent so that leaders in the creative and working field of drama might become an asset to the community. The Educational Committee, which was made up of specially selected members and the chairmen of the sub- committees, had as its purpose the directing of the people of the community toward a higher appreciation of the value of dramatic art, a better presentation of it, a larger participation in it by the selection and recommendation of plays of acknowledged literary merit ; by dramatic literary programs ; by securing competent directors and by providing publicity tending to stimulate wider interest in drama. A number of sub-committees were appointed under the general Educational Committe. These sub-committees were as follows : 1. Community Groups The people composing this sub-committee repre- sented schools, churches, industry, clubs and various dramatic groups, and the purpose of the committee was to organize dramatic activities among the mem- bers of each unit. 2. Special Days The purpose of this committee was to see that dramatic observance is given local and national holi- davs anH snprinl r>rra<;ir»n5 days and special occasions. 3. Competition Through this committee it was planned to offer prizes to stimulate original creative activity in the designing of scenes, costumes and posters, and in play or pageant writing. [ Twenty-lhrcc ] 4. Publicity The function of this committee was to prepare and publish newspaper articles and special bulletins ; to hold meetings ; secure lectures ; recommend books and magazines for the library and to do everything possible to help focus the dramatic interests of the community. The second large committee organized was the Survey Committee whose purpose was to discover available re- sources, such as leaders, participants and artists ; physical equipment, such as halls and stages for plays; out-of- door sites for pageants; scenery; costumes and similar facilities, and to seek out the organizations and neigh- borhood groups which are interested in dramatics. This plan, it will readily be seen, stresses the im- portance of initial attention to the organization of a community along educational lines of dramatic art rather than to production. While it is recognized that the ultimate objective is participation by the people in actual production, it may, in some instances, be possible to wait until means have been evolved for the development of a community-wide program. The Play Producing Group In some cases, however, it is not advisable to delay the putting on of a definite program. Consequently it is necessary to organize very soon the play producing group which will be responsible, under the general direction of the permanent dramatic committee, for put- ting on plays or other forms of dramatic activities. One director of long experience has suggested that the following committees be created for the actual task of play producing and has outlined the duties of each committee. [ Tu'cnly-four ] Play Reading Committee Costume Committee Scenery and Lighting Committee Music Committee Business Committee The Chairman of the Play Reading Committee may appoint a given number to serve with her for one pro- duction or for the season. It would, however, stimulate interest to change the play reading members with each new play. Select a play worth the time and trouble which will be spent in producing it. Plays should be chosen very carefully with the thought of the talent of the actors and the limitation of the stage facilities ever in mind. The approval of the director must be neces- sary for the final decision. Members of the Costume Committee should be a« familiar as the actors with the play. No small detail should be overlooked. People having a natural taste for designing and dressmaking should be chosen for members of this committee. If tjie production is a cos- tume play the history of the period should be studied. The costumes should be authentic in every way. Some members of the committee may search for old prints which may be copied. Correct combination of colors is most important. Harmony of colors should not only be studied from the artistic standpoint, but also from the view of the player — in other words, suit the costume to the player — the player to the costume. At least one artist should be a member of this committee. It is quite popular to have small models made of the costumes in the workroom. They create interest, and errors may lie corrected, saving time and money. After the per- f