HE subject of the paper I am presenting tonight is "The Housing of the Drama," and I must preface my remarks by saying that, when the courteous invitation of your Council indicated that this evening was set down for a discussion on theatres, I was at considerable pains to select a title which should exactly describe the bearing of my contribution.

It is the housing of the Drama of which I wish to speak, neither more nor less, and I

may as well at once say that the use of the word "theatre" in the title has been purposely avoided: for when speaking of the theatre we are too ready to associate with it all the many forms of entertainment which require an auditorium and a stage -from grand opera to variety show. Similarly such terms as "planning" and "construction" have intentionally been omitted. To have included either would have compelled me to deal with the playhouse solely from its architectural or technical aspect. This is not my intention, the less so because this room has already witnessed several interesting discussions on the building and equipment of the modern theatre, at home, on the Continent, and in America. In fact, many questions of detail essential to the construction were then so ably dealt with that I should only be traversing

Third Series, Vol. V. No. 7.-12 Feb. 1898.

с с

old ground. Hence I have ventured to come before you this evening with a contribution on broader lines. I shall endeavour to treat of some of the aspects under which a playhouse devoted to the production of drama can be constructed, not only as a temple of art, but also as the pride of the nation or community to which it belongs. These aspects demand the attention of the architectural and allied professions, for without the assistance of the architect of to-day and his co-workers the successful issue of any movement towards a better class of building is almost impossible. I say "architect of to-day" advisedly, for it is not many years back that the architect considered it was his only duty to carry out his client's instructions to the best of his ability, without dealing with the purpose or object of the building from ideal points of view-much less trying to influence his client in this respect. At the present time, however, I am glad to say, we have architects (like Mr. Aston Webb) who will go so far as to give such prosy themes as a grain warehouse an architectural treatment of the very highest order. Moreover, we have architects who consider that they have a higher mission than the mere welding together of bricks and mortar. They intend to beautify our cities and give dignity and importance to our public institutions, and even if commissions do not fall their way they do everything in their power to see that we are saved from further eyesores. It is to those that I chiefly address myself to-night when I deal with the "Housing of the Drama" not as a question of construction but as a question of policy.

Now when speaking of the one form of entertainment under consideration to-night-the Drama, as distinct from the opera or the lighter forms of amusement-it would be well to bear in mind that this includes comedy and tragedy alike-the chamber play as well as grand drama in fact, all such presentations of plays which are given with due regard to art and literature, as well as for purposes of education, with the object of dealing with serious problems, or for the recreation of the cultured. I am afraid I must exclude the melodrama, and even the ever-popular modern farce.

I ask then how the drama in its highest sense is housed to-day. How is it housed in the Metropolis, how in the provinces, how abroad? And what principles guide the constitution of the home of the drama? What is the basis on which buildings devoted to the presentation of plays are erected? The answers to these questions are all-important when considering whether a playhouse fulfils the function for which it is provided. They are also essential if we wish to know the lines on which a modern playhouse should be built.

THE PRIVATE THEATRE OF THE METROPOLIS.

To begin with, let us remember that London has no other form of playhouse than what is termed the private theatre. However high a standard may be reached by productions associated with individual examples, these private theatres cannot be considered otherwise than as having their basis in commercial enterprise. This commercial spirit is but rarely shaken off even by a management of the highest order.

The home of the drama in the Metropolis is sometimes a building owned and managed by the same person, who is a manager or actor by profession, or similarly owned and managed by some combination of persons (a syndicate or company) who undertake the direct control of their house through one or more of their number. More often, however, the owner leases his building for terms varying in length from a few nights to a number of years, and the lessee may be an actor, a manager, or again some syndicate or company formed for the presentation of an individual play or a series of productions. In the first case, that in which the theatre owner conducts his theatre directly, his holding principally resembles that of a theatrical business; in the latter case, where he leases his building, the property may be considered an investment which the lessee can use for his own special purposes. The latter

may, if he prefer it, make money by pandering to an inferior scale of public taste; he may wish to entertain with due regard to Art, to educate his audience, to amuse it, or both. He may conduct the theatre with high ideals, or otherwise. But, with very few exceptions, it is inevitable that the theatre owner and theatre lessee must bear in mind the cost of land, and. of bricks-and-mortar! Some owners or lessees may have been granted voluntary support or subsidies as regards special efforts on their part. But as a rule, whether built for direct management or as an investment, the site, the building, and the equipment of a London playhouse are plain questions of rent-roll and £ s. d. pure and simple. What is more-the London playhouse is but seldom erected by the man who can sail an easy course with a large banking account at his back. With few exceptions we find a most complicated financial basis, in which questions of option, of mortgage, and the like, predominate. The same holds good for our provincial centres, with the one exception, that of the Memorial Theatre at Stratfordon-Avon, which had a special building fund voluntarily subscribed, with the view of erecting a monument to Shakespeare. The same state of affairs also exists in our colonies, and, with one or two exceptions, in that other great English-speaking country, the United States.

THE MUNICIPAL, SUBSCRIPTION, AND ENDOWED THEATRES OF THE CONTINENT.

But on the Continent what do we find? Among Latin countries in the South of Europe we certainly meet with the private theatre to a considerable extent. We also find the private theatre in large capitals of the Teutonic countries in Northern Europe. We further have the private theatre which is subsidised by the State or otherwise, notably in Paris and Northern Italy. The private theatre, however, is not the typical home of the drama for the Continent. Principally the municipal, the subscription, or the endowed theatre prevails, and also to a certain extent Court and National theatres, though, as a rule, the Governments or Courts of Europe only possess opera-houses or large playhouses intended for the presentation of both opera and drama.

Now the purposes of a playhouse when not conducted as a money-making concern, as is necessarily the case with the private theatre, can be (1) for the satisfaction of luxury, (2) for educational purposes, or (3) for recreative purposes, or for the realisation of any two of these intentions, or even all three.

Let us commence with the municipal theatre of the Continent. Its object is generally educa→ tional and recreative, the low price of admission enabling all classes to witness the performance. Beyond the original outlay on the building the ratepayers may either allow some annual vote towards maintenance, or they may simply guarantee to meet deficit, should there be one. It is merely a question of good stage-management and the judicious pricing of admission; for, as there are no profits to be made, the plays should practically be presented at cost price. It is not my purpose here to describe on what lines such theatres are managed, but I would impress upon you that the municipal theatre ranks with the highest of the public institutions of any community, and the building, which stands as a local monument, generally embodies all that the community can afford to give in art and excellence of workmanship.

Next, the subscription theatre, which differs only from the municipal theatre as regards origin. It is not the property of the ratepayers, but is presented to the town sometimes by one or more wealthy citizens, at other times by a large section of the community who desire to participate in providing the town with a suitable playhouse, and contribute from a few pence to some thousand pounds, according to their respective circumstances. It is truз that such subscription theatres are not infrequently managed by the municipality on the same lines as the municipal theatre, the donors having presented the playhouse to the public authority, and the municipality having undertaken its administration. It is thus that

we get the so-called " City" theatre, which, though for all practical purposes a municipal institution, yet differs from it by the manner in which it was brought into existence. On the other hand we have the bona fide subscription theatre, managed by the representatives of the subscribers or by trustees, the municipality, however, having perhaps also contributed to the fund in some form or other, such as by a grant of money towards the building, an annual grant towards its maintenance, or, as is often the case, by the gift of the site. Then, again, we have the institution which is managed by the sub

scribers themselves, who, however, in some cases hold the actual building in trust, some rich citizen or citizens having built a playhouse and handed it over to a general body of subscribers. They equip it and undertake to manage the establishment, guaranteeing any deficit in the usual way. Lastly comes the endowed theatre, for which land and building are presented, together with a sufficient sum put in trust to cover the maintenance of the block, and any reasonable deficit on the productions. It is the bona fide endowed theatre of this description that rightly ranks with some of those generous gifts of endowed picture galleries, public libraries, and artisans' dwellings for which this country is distinguished.

The most recent form of the subscription theatre, by the bye, is the "People's" playhouse, voluntarily subscribed for by every class of the community, and conducted on co-operative lines; while a particular form of the endowed institution is the playhouse which has been established on philanthropic lines for the entertainment and elevation of the working classes, like many of our free libraries.

Now each of these-the municipal theatre, the subscription theatre, and the endowed theatre is essentially a public institution. The standard of its founders is a high one, and where this is the case it follows that the conception and rendering of both interior and exterior -in other words, the architectural lines-ought to attain an equally high standard. The municipal theatre practically always stands as a monument to the prosperity and culture of a community, and the architecture of the subscription theatre is intended to give a similar impression. A certain spirit of rivalry between different localities also affects the architectural treatment; for the municipal or subscription theatre generally becomes the show place of the locality; it is not infrequently used for purposes of ceremony and hospitality; in many respects it is also the assembly room for all classes. As suitable law courts should emphasise the dignity of justice, and a Government office indicate the centre of authority, so should the playhouse embody the social status, and the culture and prosperity, of the community; and this, I am glad to say, is generally the case on the other side of the Channel.

But let me at once say that not every subscription or endowed theatre, nor every muni

cipal theatre, is erected solely for the presentation of the drama, though there are many instances where this is the case. Only recently I have heard that the city of Frankfort, which already has a magnificent subscription opera-house, is about to have a municipal home for the drama as well. Not infrequently are such playhouses also intended for the presentation of opera. A playhouse may be built particularly as the home of the drama, but it may be arranged so that opera also can be represented. The opposite is often also the case: that is to say, a municipality has its opera-house in which drama is presented, and besides the regular opera company there is a regular dramatic company. As, however, we are speaking of the "housing of the drama," it is not a question of immediate importance whether the building is used for other purposes than that for which it was originally intended, or whether drama is temporarily produced in what we might term an opera-house. The only point we have to bear in mind is that frequently the same building is technically unsuited for the two purposes. A building in

tended for the presentation of the drama, and well balanced in its proportions, becomes "dwarfed " in feeling, if I may say so, when grand opera is presented in it; whilst, vice versa, all the beautiful effects in acting a chamber play are lost in a building designed primarily as an opera-house. Now this can be the case, and is sometimes the case, in the municipal, subscription, and endowed theatres, but as a rule we may take it that this unsuitable combination is one of the characteristics of

the National and Court playhouses. Of course there are also National and Court playhouses identified solely either with the drama or the opera, for Vienna has its Opera House as well as its Court playhouse. The Czar's Theatre administration has together seven playhouses, three of which are devoted to drama. Berlin has its Schauspielhaus as well as its Opera House.

THE COURT AND GOVERNMENT THEATRES OF THE CONTINENT.

But what is a National or a Court theatre? I have said theatres originate either from a commercial object, for the gratification of luxury, for educational purposes, or for recreation. Now the Court theatre is peculiarly the luxury of royalty, established and maintained at the expense of the reigning monarch, though generally open to the admission of the general public on a certain payment, except when reserved entirely for some Court function. The Court playhouse is generally the pride of a Continental monarch: he uses the building for the entertainment of his guests, for public receptions, and the like. Whether the production be an opera, a play, or a ballet is often quite immaterial so long as the production is of a high standard and does credit to the culture of the Court. Being the outcome of luxury, the Court playhouse, however, frequently becomes a veritable palace of luxury, for nowhere is the play more sumptuously housed than in these Court establishments. This lavish style of housing is, however, not so much due to any desire to give the play dignified surroundings, as to give the Court a suitable place of entertainment. Practically the same description holds good for National and Government theatres, with the exception that the institution then. becomes the pride of the nation at large and a suite of reception-rooms for the Government. The educational objects put forward by Governments are, I am afraid, merely an excuse