Identifier: arttheatrediscus00chen (find matches)
Title: The art theatre; a discussion of its ideals
Year: 1917 (1910s)
Authors: Cheney, Sheldon, 1886-1980
Subjects: Detroit Little theater movement
Publisher: New York, A. A. Knopf
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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hought of my book—unlesswe carry the little theatres beyond the ideals mostof them stand for, unless we professionalize themwhile preserving their amateur spirit, unless weorganize them efficiently for art production, weshall be little better off than before they came.For otherwise we shall have only a smug businessinstitution beside an amateur institution revellingin artistic anarchy and bankruptcy. At least three groups, in Chicago, Detroit andNew York, have risen above that reproach ofamateurishness and crudity which has come tobe an implication of the term little theatre.They are Americas first steps toward art thea-tre organization. They have been proving theground as they developed, and they have shownthat an audience exists. They have helped,moreover, to make a clear cleavage between thecommercial theatre and a new professional arttheatre as yet in its infancy. But they must bestabilized and similar groups must be developedout of little theatres and art societies elsewhere.30
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THE CONSTANT LOVER Conditions in the American Theatre For the real art of the theatre in America de-pends upon the development of fixed local play-houses with resident companies dedicated torepertory production of the best that dramaticart has to offer. Not only is the commercial thea-tre unable to realize the finer ideals, but the verynature of the typical art-theatre play is such thatit cannot be transported by travelling companies,and cannot be brought to its finest expression with-out the aid of artists working in the light of theamateur spirit. Until there are independenttheatres and organizations in the several partsof the country, directed by artists and not busi-nessmen, and capable of staging and interpretingadequately the best from the Greeks and Shake-speare to Shaw and Dunsany, we shall look invain for the coming of the art theatre. 31 CHAPTER II THE COMING OF THE ART THEATRE THE title of this chapter is a prophecy andnot a description, so far as this coun-try is concerned

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