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November 24, 1928 WINNETKA TALK Alice Riley's Drama Adapts Chinese Mode to American Tastes "Little New Moon," a play not alien to Chinese ideals, written and pro- duced after the Chinese manner, yet appealing to an American audience, is the unique recent dramatic effort of Alice C. D. Riley to be offered at Northwestern university, the week of Dec. 11. The trio of performances will be the first to be offered this season by the Playshop of the university. They will also be the first performances under its new order, established with the opening of the university this autumn, wherein it has officially taken over the Playshop activities as a part of its curriculum in its School of Speech. Local Color from California Mrs. Riley, who has written many plays for professional and non-pro- fessional production, and whose work and personal energies have been the stimulation and inspiration of the Playshop group, has created in "Little New Moon" something entirely differ- ent from any of her previous plays. She has written the fantasy with use of local color gained in her part-year residences in California during which she has attentively attended the Chin- ese theater and adapted its plan and atmosphere to her recent writing. She has this to say in explanation of what she is creating: "The Chinese theater has this in com- mon with the theaters of all nations: it tells a story sympathetic to the ideals of the audience, by actors with spoken word and bodily action, upon a stage, before an audience. "Every one of these things is essential to drama in any place and before any people. The methods of projection vary with the conditions under which a people live, and with the ideals of that people. It is natural, for instance, that in the heart of Africa, the subject of the drama shall be the hunt, and that the greatest hunter shall be the hero. In a country of ancient civilization, like China, it is to be expected that realistic actions shall have been dropped long ago, and its place taken by symbols. This gives us what the theater-folk today call 'stylization.' Another Style of Chinese Warfare "For instance, when a battle is to be presented on the Chinese stage, each man bearing a banner represents a cer- tain number of men. Thus, ten men on the right, bearing ten blue flags, oppo- site ten men on the left, bearing ten white flags, might represent to the aud- ience two embattled armies of thousands. The action against each other is repre- sented by each army passing to the opposite side of the stage, through the ranks of the other. Thus the action of the battle resembles the movements of a corps de ballet in an ensemble dance. Sometimes the flag bearers remain sta- tionary and the battle is danced by two men, each representing his entire army. "An actor who enters with a whip is accepted by the audience as on horse- back. When he throws down this whip he has dismounted. If he is killed, he indicates it by lying still for a moment; then he gets up and walks off the stage. His audience accepts his first action as having been that of the character in the play; the last as being simply the per- son of the actor himself, conveniently removing himself from the stage. "The advantage of this method is that Give Him a Hand! Charles IL. McArthur, son of Mr. and Mrs, Norman K. McArthur of 868 Greenwood avenue, Glencoe, was ill on the day the picture of the champion- ship New Trier High school tootball team, that subsequently appeared on the cover of this publication, was taken, so we hereby accord him the distinction of a solo appearance. "Mac" played in every championship tilt en- gaged in by the great Green and Gray squad, playing a stellar right guard. Hats off to "Mac"! it requires the audience to take part in the play. The stage of the Chinese thea- ter makes no attempt at a realistic set- ting. There is no front curtain. The walls are hung with beautiful draperies. In the back wall of the stage there are two doors. All actors enter by the right and exit by the left of these. Very few properties are used. Most of them are indicated by pantomime. When neces- sary, they are built before the eyes of the audience by the property man who, by piling up a few boxes, tables and chairs, will make a mountain or a palace very quickly. "The property man and orchestra are on the stage throughout the entire play, placed in the uppper corners. The Chin- ese audience regards them as invisible during the play's action. All these and a thousand more conventions are ac- cepted without question by a Chinese audience." Also Appeal to Americans Influenced to practicable extent by these Chinese traditions, Mrs. Riley has written her play to accord with native ideals, yet to appeal to American aud- iences. It will be shown upon an open stage with symbolic scenery built up before the audience, with property man and orchestra and properties imagined. There will be interesting incidental music written particularly for the play includ- ing the love song, which will be the musical motive, written by Dorothy Riley Brown of Winnetka, Mrs. Riley's daughter. GIFTS OF ENGLISH CHINA~ ROCK CRYSTAL OR ART LAMPS ~ NOVELTIES and Located in the Heart of Evanston Overlooking Northwestern University Campus Lake Michigan Light--Airy--Class rooms. Thoroughly planned curri culum. Faculty of only professional artists. Under the direction of Carl Scheffler. DRAWING PAINTING DESIGN ILLUSTRATION ADVERTISING CRAFTS INTERIOR STAGE ART Send for Illustrated Catalog THE EVANSTON ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS 636 CHURCH STREET EVANSTON ILL. PHONE.GREENLEAF 1674 For Any Member of the Family Special Pre-Holiday Offer Matzene Portraits THIS OFFER EXPIRES DECEMBER 5TH Matzenr Studio 1618 ORRINGTON AVE. EVANSTON, ILL. GREENLEAF 5403 : AN YE YL MIN SUNT ANE MINE MINE YAN SANE NE MRE MIE WAL