From the beginning there has been a very definite plan in Mr. Walker's mind
as to what his objective point was to be, and especially in view of what I
have said of his company in connection with repertory it may be interesting
to suggest the outline of that plan here. This is no less than to establish
in some city a permanent repertory theater and company, and to use the
_Portmanteau Theater_ and company for touring purposes. It is an amusing
thought; the little theater would shoot out from under the wing of its
parent as a raiding party detaches itself from its company, but the
consequences would be, one hopes, less destructive on both sides. The
thought, however, is really much more than amusing; it is of very real
consequence and importance. It will readily be seen that in this we have a
combination of the advantages of both the stationary and the touring
repertory company, and hence, double the chances of success. And Mr. Walker
would by no means be restricted to one _Portmanteau Theater_. If conditions
warranted it he could as easily construct and send out a dozen on the road,
taking his work into every nook and corner of the theater-loving country.
In fact the ramifications of the idea are so vast that it is useless to
endeavor to do more than suggest them here. The reader will see for himself
what great possibilities are involved, and what an effect this might have
on all repertory work in America.
During the last two years the work of Mr. Walker's company has improved in
every way. The addition of new members, such as Margaret Mower, and
particularly George Gaul, whose performance In _The Book of Job_ was, in my
opinion, one of the finest ever seen on the American stage, has naturally
served to strengthen the fabric greatly. The older members of the company,
Gregory Kelly, McKay Morris, Edgar Stehli and many others, have all
improved in their work, increasing in assurance and finish. The success
that has attended the fortunes of the theater has made possible finer stage
effects (the Dunsany productions have been immensely improved) and the
repertory has been greatly enriched by some really fine plays, and has been
enhanced by others of a more popular character. One thing must be said,
however, in all fairness. It has seemed to the writer that of late there
has been an increasing tendency on the part of Mr. Walker's scenic artists
and costume designers to fall away from the plain surfaces and unbroken
lines of the new stagecraft, and to achieve an effect which one can only
characterize as "spotty." This can best be appreciated by those who know
the two American productions of Dunsany's one-act play, _The Tents of the
Arabs_. I am rather regretfully of the opinion that, aside from the actual
playing and reading of the parts, Sam Hume's production was superior to
that of Mr. Walker. An opulence of variegated colors does not always
suggest as much as flat masses. The set used by Mrs. Hapgood in her
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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