One-Act Plays

Anne, scolded by Giles for her slowness, is commended as comely and spirited by Peele.

Peele abuses Stratford as a sleepy hole.

Anne explains her delay in fetching ale by the fact that Mistress Shakespeare has been at the back door inquiring for Will who has been gone all day.

Giles explains Will to Peele as a young poacher.

Anne indignantly denies the charge and praises Will as the brightest boy in Stratford.

Giles accuses him of gawking at plays and predicts a bad end for the boy.

Peele resents the implication.

Singing a May-day catch, Will enters. Afraid to go home because he has been wasting his day in Charlecote Park and fears father's scolding.

Goes off into a golden dream of his day in the woods.

Peele attracts his attention by announcing his profession.

Will shows his interest.

Is too distracted by Peele to eat.

Peele announces itinerary of his players and kindles Will's imagination with a mention of the Queen.

Threatens to carry Will off to London.

Anne discourages the plan.

Peele draws glowing pictures of actor's profession.

Will is all on fire for London in spite of Anne.

Tells Anne he's tired of being nagged.

Makes Peele promise to take him to London.

His mother comes for him and is aghast at the news, but finally consents to let Will go without his father's knowledge.

Peele then draws a picture of the actor as vagabond to discourage Will.

Anne holds out against his going.

Will tells how, though he has not been poaching, he has been warned by Sir Thomas Lucy to clear out.

His mother sees that he must go.

Will makes a compact with Peele.

Promises Anne rare gifts and kissing his mother goes.

The scenario drawn up, the next step is to develop the plot. The plot of a one-act play, to be effective, must be extraordinarily compact.

The accepted laws of plot construction for all artistic narratives are the same. The climax must be carefully prepared for, as in Synge's _Riders to the Sea_, and the various devices used for heightening the suspense should be discovered and applied.

Characterization is more difficult for the tyro to manage than plot.

Consistency of characterization is attained through discovering in the beginning a motive that will sufficiently account for the part taken by the character by means of speech and action, and through constantly testing the characterization by this motive. Such consistency of characterization is ill.u.s.trated to perfection in Tarkington's _Beauty and the Jacobin_. The writer of the one-act play does not use many characters. "Examination of several hundred one-act plays has revealed that the average number of characters to a play is between three and four."[19]

[Footnote 19: B. Roland Lewis, _The Technique of the One-Act Play_, Boston, 1918, p. 211.]

Facility in writing dialogue is gained like facility in plot construction and in characterization only by the patient study of the work of experienced and successful playwrights. Dialogue that is witty, charming, ironical, or graceful is of dramatic value only as it is in character.

A little experience on the stage is a great help. Such experience teaches the value of skillfully planned exits and entrances for characters; helps the beginner to distinguish between action that should be related and action that should be seen; shows him

Stage directions are likely to be over-elaborated by the inexperienced. The best stage directions are those that deal only with matters of setting, lighting and essential pantomime or action. They should not, in general, be used for characterization.

But after all there can be no infallible recipes for dramatic writing.

With the successful professional playwright, apprentices.h.i.+p is often an unconscious stage. Plays succeed that break all the rules laid down by critics and professors of dramatic literature, but after all those rules were, to begin with, based on practices productive of success under other conditions. In any case some insight into the mechanics of dramatic art does make the reading of plays more interesting and does give an added zest to theatre going.

THE THEATRE IN THE SCHOOL

The giving of plays in schools is no new thing. One of the earliest English comedies, _Ralph Roister Doister_, was written in the middle of the sixteenth century by Nicholas Udall, a schoolmaster, probably to be performed at Westminister School at Christmas time. Many generations of boys in the English public schools have presented the plays of the Greek and Latin dramatists; and schools and colleges in this country have also at times given performances of the cla.s.sic drama. But until recently Shakespeare and the comedies of Sheridan and Goldsmith have been the chief dramatic fare both in the cla.s.sroom and on the stage in American schools.

Modern plays are coming, however, to be more generally introduced into the course of study. The following significant list, prepared by Miss Anna H. Spaulding, is in use in the senior cla.s.ses in English in the Brookline High School, at Brookline, Ma.s.sachusetts:

Noah's Flood Sacrifice of Isaac Everyman Everywoman The Servant in the House Ralph Roister Doister Tales of the Mermaid Tavern Merchant of Venice Jew of Malta Tragedy of Shakespeare Comedy of Shakespeare The Rivals The Good Natured Man She Stoops to Conquer Caste The Lady of Lyons One Closet Drama The Second Mrs. Tanqueray One Comedy of Pinero The Silver King One Serious Play by Jones Arms and the Man Caesar and Cleopatra John Bull's Other Island The Doctor's Dilemma Strife Justice The Tragedy of Nan The Marrying of Ann Leete Seven Short Plays The Land of Heart's Desire, or The Countess Cathleen, or Cathleen Ni Houlihan The Shadow of the Glen Riders to the Sea The Birthright The Truth The Witching Hour, or As a Man Thinks The Scarecrow The Piper Milestones The Importance of Being Earnest

Thirty-five of these plays are distinctly modern. Another list, in use as part of a course in contemporary literature given in the last half of the third year at the Was.h.i.+ngton Irving High School and including only modern plays, is reprinted below:

The Blue Bird The Melting Pot Milestones Justice, or The Silver Box Pygmalion The Piper Prunella Sherwood The Land of Heart's Desire Spreading the News

These plays are read and studied; that is to say, such topics as dramatic workmans.h.i.+p, theme, setting, characterization, dialogue, and diction are taken up in connection with each one and each one is made the starting point for a new interest in the drama of to-day.[20]

[Footnote 20: Further interesting information on the reading and the study of modern plays in the schools may be found in the valuable article by F. G. Thompkins of the Central High School, Detroit, called _The Play Course in High School_, in _The English Journal_ for November, 1920, and in the same issue, in the list of plays produced by St. Louis High Schools, prepared by Clarence Stratton, Chairman, National Council Committee on Plays.]

In another high school in New York, the Evander Childs, there is a four years' course of two periods a week in cla.s.sroom study of the drama, old and new. All composition work is connected with this special interest.

Another kind of work based on contemporary drama was carried on by a group of first-year students in a certain high school who were much interested in a program of one-act plays to be presented in the school theatre. The teacher of English who had charge of this young cla.s.s discussed the subject of the theatre audience with them both before and after the performance. The outcome of this a.n.a.lysis of the interests of the audience was an outline. These fourteen-year old girls said that the next time that they went to the theatre they would keep in mind the following considerations:

I. In regard to the play: A. Its t.i.tle B. Cla.s.sification C. Plot D. Characterization E. Dialogue F. Theme

II. In regard to the actors: A. Their intelligence B. Clearness of speech C. Ease of manner D. Facial expression (appropriateness of make-up) E. Pantomime or action 1. Posture 2. Gesture 3. Repose F. Costumes 1. Appropriateness as an index to character 2. Color and design 3. Harmony with the setting

III. In regard to the setting: A. The lighting B. Color and design C. Appropriateness as regards mood of play D. Suggestiveness E. Workmans.h.i.+p

One cannot help feeling that these young people were being effectively trained to enjoy the best drama in the best way.