SYMONS, Arthur

1906 Studies in seven arts. London; Archibald Constable and Compan,Lda!

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A ne( art o) the sta*e
+n the remar,able e-periments o) Mr! .ordon Crai*, + seem to see the su**estion o)
a ne( art o) the sta*e, an art no lon*er realistic, but con/entional, no lon*er imitati/e,
but smbolical! +n Mr! Crai*0s sta*in* there is the incalculable element, the element
that comes o) itsel), and cannot be coa-ed into comin*! 1ut in (hat is incalculable
there ma be e2ual parts o) inspiration and o) accident! 3o( much, in Mr! Crai*0s
sta*in*, is inspiration, ho( much is accident4 5hat is, a)ter all, the important
2uestion!
Mr! Crai*, it is certain, has a *enius )or line, )or no/el e))ects o) line! 3is line is
entirel his o(n ; he (or,s in s2uares and strai*ht lines, hardl e/er in cur/es! 3e
drapes the sta*e into a s2uare (ith cloths ;
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he di/ides these cloths b /ertical lines, carrin* the ee strai*ht up to an immense
hei*ht, )i-in* it into a ri*id attention! 3e sets s2uares o) pattern and structure on the
sta*e ; he )orms his *roups into irre*ular s2uares, and sets them mo/in* in strai*ht
lines, (hich double on themsel/es li,e the t(o arms o) a compass ; he puts s2uare
patterns on the dresses, and drapes the arms (ith ribbons that han* to the *round,
and ma,e almost a s2uare o) the bod (hen the arms are held out at ri*ht an*les!
3e pre)ers *estures that ha/e no cur/es in them ; the arms held strai*ht up, or
strai*ht )or(ard, or strai*ht out side(as!
3e li,es the act o) ,neelin*, in (hich the bod is bent into a sharp an*le ; he li,es a
sudden sprin* to the )eet, (ith the arms held strai*ht up! 3e lin,s his *roups b an
arran*ement o) poles and ribbons, somethin* in the manner o) a mapole ; each
)i*ure is held to the centre b a ti*htl stretched line li,e the spo,e o) a (heel! 7/en
(hen, as in this case, the pattern )orms into a circle, the circle is se*mented b
strai*ht lines!
5his se/ere treatment o) line *i
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breadth and di*nit to (hat mi*ht other(ise
be merel )antastic! Mr! Crai* is
happiest (hen he can pla at children0s
*ames (ith his )i*ures, as in almost the
(hole o) c 5he Mas2ue o) Lo/e; 8hen he
is entirel his o(n master, not dependent
on an ,ind o) realit, he in/ents reall
li,e a child, and his )air%tale comes ri*ht,
because it is not tied b an *ro(n%up
lo*ic! 5hen his li/in* desi*n is li,e an
arabes2ue (ithin strict limits, held in )rom
(anderin* and losin* itsel) b those s2uare
lines (hich rim it implacabl round!
5hen, a*ain, his e))ects are produced
simpl! Most o) the costumes in 05he
Mas2ue o) Lo/e 0 (ere made o) sac,in*,
stitched rou*hl to*ether! <nder the cunnin*
handlin* o) the li*ht, the *a/e ou
an illusion ou pleased, and the be**ars
o) the mas2ue (ere not more appropriatel
clothed than the ,in*s and 2ueens! All
had di*nit, all reposed the ee!
5he aim o) modern sta*in* is to intensi)
the realit o) thin*s, to *i/e ou
the illusion o) an actual room, or meado(,
or mountain! 8e ha/e arri/ed at a *reat
s,ill in *i/in* this crude illusion o) realit!
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Our sta*e painters can imitate anthin*,
but (hat the cannot *i/e us is the
emotion (hich the pla(ri*ht, i) he is an
artist, (ishes to indicate b means o) his
scene! +t is the /er closeness o) the
imitation (hich ma,es our minds unable
to accept it! 5he ee rebounds, so to
spea,, )rom this can/as as real as (ood,
this (ood as real as (ater, this (ater (hich
is actual (ater! Mr! Crai* aims at ta,in*
us beond realit ; he replaces the pattern
o) the thin* itsel) b the pattern (hich
that thin* e/o,es in his mind, the smbol
o) the thin*! As, in con/entional art, the
artist unpic,s the structure o) the rose to
build up a mental ima*e o) the rose, in
some )ormal pattern (hich his brain ma,es
o/er a*ain, li,e a ne( creation )rom the
be*innin*, a ne( or*anism, so, in this ne(
con/ention o) the sta*e, a plain cloth,
modulated b li*ht, can stand )or space
or )or limit, ma be the ti*ht (alls o) a
tent or the s, and the clouds! 5he ee
loses itsel) amon* these se/ere, precise, and
et msterious lines and sur)aces ; the mind
is easil at home in them ; it accepts them
as readil as it accepts the con/ention b
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(hich, in a poetical pla, men spea, in
/erse rather than in prose!
Success, o) course, in this )orm o) art lies
in the per)ectin* o) its emotional e-pressi/eness!
7/en et Mr! Crai* has not done
much more, perhaps, than indicate (hat
ma be done (ith the material (hich he
)inds in his hands! :or instance, the
ob/ious criticism upon his mountin* o)
0 Acis and .alatea 0
is, that he has mounted
a pastoral, and put nothin* pastoral into
his mountin*! And this criticism is partl
@ust! Yet there are parts, especiall the
end o) Act +!, (here he has per)ectl
achie/ed the renderin* o) pastoral )eelin*
accordin* to his o(n con/ention! 5he tent
is there (ith its s2uare (alls, not a *limpse
o) meado( or s, comes into the se/ere
desi*n, and et, as the nmphs in their
strai*ht dresses and strai*ht ribbons lie
bac, lau*hin* on the *round, and the
children, (ith their little modern bro(n
stra( hats, toss paper roses amon* them,
and the coloured balloons "(hich ou ma
bu in the street )or a penn' are tossed
into the air, carrin* the ee up(ard, as
i) it sa( the (ind chasin* the clouds, ou
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)eel the actual sensation o) a pastoral scene,
o) countr @o, o) the sprin* and the open
air, as no tric,le o) real (ater in a trou*h,
no shea/es o) real corn amon* painted trees,
no imitation o) a )lushed s, on can/as,
could tric, ou into )eelin* it! 5he ima*ination
has been cau*ht ; a su**estion has
been *i/en (hich stri,es strai*ht to 0the
ner/es o) deli*ht
0
; and be sure those
ner/es, that ima*ination, (ill do the rest,
better, more e))ectuall, than the deliberate
assent o) the ees to an imitation o) natural
appearances!
5a,e a*ain some o) those dra(in*s o)
sta*e scener (hich (e ha/e not et been
abAe to see realised, the decoration )or
3o)mannsthal0s 07le,tra0 and 0?enice Breser/ed,0
and )or 0 3amlet 0 and )or 0 5he
Mas2ue o) London; 7/er(here a (ild
and e-2uisite scenic ima*ination builds up
shado( structures (hich seem to ha/e
arisen b some stran*e haCard, and to the
sound o) an un)amiliar music, and (hich
are o)ten literall li,e music in the cadences
o) their desi*n! All ha/e di*nit, remoteness,
/astness ; a sense o) mster, an
actual emotion in their lines and )aint
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colours! 5here is poetr in this bare prose
)rame(or, o) sta*e properties, a 2ualit o)
*race (hich is almost e/asi/e, and seems to
point out ne( possibilities o) drama, as it
pro/ides ne(, scarcel hoped )or, possibilities
to the dramatist!
5a,e, )or instance, 05he Mas2ue o)
London!0 +t is Biranesi, and it is London
o) to%da, seen in lineal /ision, and it is
a desi*n, not merel on paper, but built up
de)initel bet(een the (in*s o) the sta*e!
+t is a /ast sca))oldin*, risin* out o) ruins,
and ascendin* to topplin* hei*hts ; all its
craC shapes seem to lean o/er in the air,
and at inter/als a little (ear bein* climbs
(ith obscure patience! +n one o) the
0 3amlet 0
dra(in*s (e see the room in the
castle at 7lsinore into (hich Ophelia is to
come (ith her be(ildered sin*in* ; and the
room (aits, tall, /a*ue, e-2uisitel still and
stran*e, a *hostl room, prepared )or beaut
and madness! 5here is another room, (ith
tall doors and (indo(s and abrupt pools o)
li*ht on the )loor; and another, (ith its
si*ni)icant shado(s, its t(o eni*matic
)i*ures, in (hich a drama o) Maeterlinc,
mi*ht )ind its o(n atmosphere a(aitin* it!
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And in et another all is *esture ; (alls,
hal)%opened doors, hal)%seen (indo(s, the
huddled people at a door(a, and a tall
)i*ure o) a (oman raised up hi the )ore*round,
(ho seems to motion to them
/ehementl! Colour co%operates (ith line
in e))ects o) rich and et delicate /a*ueness
; there are al(as the lon*, strai*ht
lines, the sense o) hei*ht and space, the
bare sur)aces, the subtle, si*ni)icant
shado(s, out o) (hich Mr! Crai* has lon*
since learned to e/o,e sta*e pictures more
beauti)ul and more su**esti/e than an
that ha/e been seen on the sta*e in our
time!
5he (hole sta*e art o) Mr! Crai* is a
protest a*ainst realism, and it is to realism
that (e o(e (hate/er is most conspicuousl
bad in the mountin* o) plas at the present
da! 8a*ner did some o) the harm; )or
he re)used to realise some o) the necessar
limitations o) sta*e illusion, and persisted
in belie/in* that the sta*e artist could
compete success)ull (ith nature in the
production o) landscape, li*ht, and shado(!
Yet 8a*ner himsel) protested a*ainst the
heaps o) unrealisin* detail under (hich
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Sha,espeare (as buried, in his o(n time,
on the .erman sta*e, as he is buried on
the 7n*lish sta*e in our o(n! No scenepainter,
no scene%shi)ter, no limeli*ht man,
(ill e/er delude us b his moon or meado(
or mo/in* clouds or (ater! 3is business is
to aid the poet0s illusion, that illusion o)
beaut (hich is the chie) e-cuse )or sta*e
plas at all, (hen once (e ha/e passed
beond the 0
rose%pin, and dirt drab; in
Meredith0s su))icin* phrase, o) sta*e romance
and sta*e realit! 5he distinction, the incomparable
merit, o) Mr! Crai* is that
he concei/es his settin* as the poet concei/es
his drama! 5he /erse in most
Sha,espearean re/i/als rebounds )rom a
bac,cloth o) metallic solidit ; the scener
shuts in the plaers, not upon Sha,espeare0s
dream, but upon as nearl as
possible
0 real
0
historical bric%a%brac! 8hat
Mr! Crai* does, or (ould do i) he (ere
allo(ed to do it, is to open all sorts o)
D
ma*ic casements; and to thrust bac, all
,inds o) real and probable limits, and to
*i/e at last a little scope )or the ima*ination
o) the pla(ri*ht (ho is also a poet!
+ do not et ,no( o) (hat Mr
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capable, ho( )ar he can carr his happ
natural *i)ts to(ards master! 1ut he has
done so much alread that + (ant to see
him doin* more ; + (ant to see him acceptin*
all the di))iculties o) his ne( art
)ran,l, and *rapplin* (ith them! :or the
sta*in* o) Maeterlinc,, especiall )or such
a pla as 0 La Mort de 5inta*iles; his art,
@ust as it is, (ould su))ice! 3ere are plas
(hich e-ist an(here in space, (hich e/ade
realit, (hich do all the can to become
disembodied in the /er moment in (hich
the become /isible! 5he ha/e atmosphere
(ithout localit, and that is (hat Mr! Crai*
can *i/e us so easil! 1ut + (ould li,e
to see him sta*e an opera o) 8a*ner,
0 5ristan; or the 0
Meistersin*er
0 e/en!
8a*ner has per)ected at 1areuth his o(n
conception o) (hat scener should be ; he
has done better than an one else (hat
most other sta*e%cra)tsmen ha/e been trin*
to do! 3e allo(s more than the do
to con/ention, but e/en his con/ention aims
at con/incin* the ee; the dra*on o) the
0
9in*
0
is as real a beast as 8a*ner could
in/ent in his competition (ith nature0s in/ention
o) the sna,e and the crocodile!
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1ut there are those (ho pre)er 8a*ner0s
music in the concert%room to 8a*ner0s
music e/en at 1areuth! <nless the (hole
aim and theor o) 8a*ner (as (ron*, this
pre)erence is (ron*! + should li,e, at least
as an e-periment, to see (hat Mr! Crai*
(ould ma,e o) one o) the operas! + am
not sure that he (ould not reconcile those
(ho pre)er 8a*ner in the concert%room to
this ne( ,ind o) per)ormance on the sta*e!
3e (ould *i/e us the mind0s attracti/e
smbols o) all these crude .erman pictures ;
he (ould stri,e a(a the )ootli*hts )rom
be)ore these /ast .erman sin*ers, and brin*
a *hostl li*ht to creep do(n about their
hoods and unti*htened drapin*s ; he (ould
brin*, + thin,, the atmosphere o) the music
)or the )irst time upon the sta*e!
5hen + (ould li,e to see Mr! Crai* *o
)urther still ; + (ould li,e to see him deal
(ith a purel modern pla, a pla (hich
ta,es place indoors, in the house o) middleclass
people! 3e should mount the tpical
modern pla, +bsen0s 0 .hosts!0 5hin, o)
that room D in Mrs! Al/in*0s countr%house,
beside one o) the lar*e )@ords in 8estern
Nor(a!0 >o ou remember the sta*e
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directions4 +n the )irst act the *limpse,
throu*h the *lass (indo(s o) the conser/ator,
o) 0 a *loom )@ord landscape, /eiled b
stead rain 0
; in the second D the mist still
lies hea/ o/er the landscape
0
; in the third
the lamp burnin* on the table, the dar,ness
outside, the 0 )aint *lo( )rom the con)la*ration;
And al(as
D the room as be)ore;
8hat mi*ht not Mr! Crai* do (ith that
room F 8hat, precisel, + do not ,no( ;
but + am sure that his method is capable o)
an e-tension (hich (ill ta,e in that room,
and, i) it can ta,e in that room, it can ta,e
in all o) modern li)e (hich is o) importance
to the pla(ri*ht!
ii
Most people be*in (ith theor, and *o
on, i) the *o on, to carr their theor into
practice! Mr! .ordon Crai* has done a
better thin*, and, ha/in* be*un b creatin*
a ne( art o) the sta*e on the actual boards
o) the theatre, has )ollo(ed up his practical
demonstration b a boo, o) theor, in (hich
he e-plains (hat he has done, tellin* us also
(hat he hopes to do! 0 5he Art o) the
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5heatre 0
is a little boo,, hardl more than
a pamphlet, but e/er pa*e is )ull o) ori*inal
thou*ht! <ntil + read it, + (as not sure
ho( much in Mr! Crai*0s (or, (as intention
and ho( much happ accident! 8hether
or not (e a*ree (ith e/er part o) his theor,
he has le)t no part unthou*ht out! 3is
theor, then, in brie), is thisG he de)ines
the theatre as 0 a place in (hich the entire
beaut o) li)e can be un)olded, and not onl
the e-ternal beaut o) the (orld, but the
inner beaut and meanin* o) li)e; 3e
(ould ma,e the theatre a temple in (hich
a continual ceremon un)olds and proclaims
the beaut o) li)e, and, li,e the churches o)
other reli*ions, it is to be, not )or the )e(,
but )or the people! 5he art o) the theatre
is to be 0 neither actin* nor the pla, it is
not scene nor dance, but it consists o) all
the elements o) (hich these thin*s are
composed G action, (hich is the /er spirit
o) actin* ; (ords, (hich are the bod o) the
pla ; line and colour, (hich are the /er
heart o) the scene ; rhthm, (hich is the
/er essence o) dance!0 5he art o) the
theatre is addressed in the )irst place to the
ees, and the )irst dramatist spo,e throu*h
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0
poetic action, (hich is dance, or prose
action, (hich is *esture; +n the modern
theatre a pla is no lon*er 0a balance o)
actions, (ords, dance and scene, but it is
either all (ords or all scene!0 5he business
o) the sta*e director, (ho is to be the artist
o) the theatre, is to brin* bac, the theatre
to its true purpose! 3e be*ins b ta,in*
the dramatist0s pla, and sets himsel) to
interpret it /isibl on the boards! 3e
reads it and *ets his *eneral impression ;
0 he )irst o) all chooses certain colours,
(hich seem to him to be in harmon (ith
the spirit o) the pla, re@ectin* other colours
as out o) tune! 3e then (ea/es into a
pattern certain ob@ects an arch, a )ountain,
a balcon, a bed usin* the chosen
ob@ect as the centre o) his desi*n! 5hen he
adds to this all the ob@ects (hich are mentioned
in the pla, and (hich are necessar
to be seen! 5o these he adds, one b one,
each character (hich appears in the pla,
and *raduall each mo/ement o) each character,
and each costume! ! ! ! 8hile this
pattern )or the ee is bein* de/ised, the
desi*ner is bein* *uided as much b the
sound o) the /erse or prose as b the sense
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or spirit; At the )irst rehearsal the actors
are all in their sta*e dresses, and ha/e all
learned their (ords! 5he picture is there ;
the sta*e director then li*hts his picture!
3e then sets it in motion, teachin* each
actor to 0 mo/e across our si*ht in a certain
(a, passin* to a certain point, in a certain
li*ht, his head at a certain an*le, his ees,
his )eet, his (hole bod in tune (ith the
pla; 5he pla is then read to be*in, (e
ma suppose 4 1 no means! 0 5here (ill
not be an pla; sas the sta*e director
to the sheep%li,e pla*oer (ho has been
mee,l dri)tin* (ith the current o) dialo*ue,
D there (ill not be an pla in the sense in
(hich ou use the (ord! 8hen; he is
told,
0 the theatre has become a masterpiece
o) mechanism, (hen it has in/ented a techni2ue,
it (ill (ithout an e))ort de/elop a
creati/e art o) its o(n; And that art is to
be created out o) three thin*s, the three
bare necessities o) the sta*e G action, scene
and /oice! 1 action is meant 0both *esture
and dancin*, the prose and poetr o)
action 0
; b scene,
0 all (hich comes be)ore
the ee, such as the li*htin*, costume, as
(ell as the scener
0
; b /oice,
0 the spo,en
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(ord or the (ord (hich is sun*, in contradiction
to the (ord (hich is read ; )or the
(ord (ritten to be spo,en and the (ord
(ritten to be read are t(o entirel di))erent
thin*s;
<p to this last surprisin* point, (hich,
ho(e/er, has been stealthil led up to b a
/er persuasi/e semblance o) lo*ic, ho(
admirable is e/er de)inition and e/er
su**estion F 7/erthin* that is said is as
sel)%e/identl true as it is commonl and
consistentl ne*lected! 8ho (ill den that
the theatre is a /isible creation o) li)e, and
that li)e is, )irst o) all, action ; to the spectator,
in the stalls or in the street, a thin*
)irst o) all seen, and a)ter(ards, to the
measure o) one0s care or capabilit, heard
and understood 4 5hat li)e should be
created o/er a*ain in the theatre, not in a
crude material cop, but in the spirit o) all
art,
0 b means o) thin*s that do not possess
li)e until the artist has touched them 0
G this
also (ill hardl be denied! 5his /isible
creation o) li)e is "until the (ords come into
it' li,e a picture, and it is made in the
spirit o) the painter, (ho )ails e2uall i) in
his picture he departs )rom li)e, or i) he but
A N78 A95 O: 537 S5A.7 #66
imitates (ithout interpretin* it! 1ut is it
not, a)ter all, throu*h its po(er o) addin*
the li)e o) speech to the li)e o) motion that
the theatre attains its )ull per)ection 4 Can
that per)ection be attained b limitin* its
scope to (hat must remain its onl materials
to (or, (ith G action, scene and /oice 4
5he 2uestion is this G (hether the theatre
is the in/ention o) the dramatist, and o) use
onl in so )ar as it interprets his creati/e
(or, ; or (hether the dramatist is the in/ention
o) the theatre, (hich has made him
)or its o(n ends, and (ill be able, (hen it
has (holl achie/ed its mechanism, to dispense
(ith him alto*ether, e-cept perhaps
as a ,ind o) prompter! And the cru- o)
the 2uestion is this G that to the supreme
critic o) literature, to Charles Lamb, a pla
o) Sha,espeare,
0 Lear 0 or 0 3amlet; seems
too *reat )or the sta*e, so that (hen acted
it loses the rarest part o) its ma*ic ; (hile
to the ideal sta*e%director, to Mr! .ordon
Crai*,
0 3amlet 0 should not be acted because
it is not so calculated )or the theatre that
it depends )or its ultimate achie/ement on
*esture, scene, costume, and all that the
theatre has to o))er ; not, that is, that it is
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*reater or less in its art, but that it is di))erent!
+) (e are content to belie/e both,
each )rom his o(n point o) /ie(, is it not
Crai* (ho (ill seem the more lo*ical 4 )or
(h, it (ill be as,ed, should the *reatest
dramatist o) the (orld ha/e produced his
*reatest (or, under an illusion, that is )or
actin* 4 8h should all the /ital drama o)
the (orld, the onl drama that is /ital as
literature, ha/e been thus produced4 +)
all this has indeed been produced under an
illusion, and in the )ace o) nature, ho( in/aluable
must such an illusion be, and ho(
care)ul should (e be to re)rain )rom destroin*
an o) its po(er o/er the mind F
An illusion is one thin*, a compromise is
another, and e/er art is made up in part o)
more and more in*enious compromises! 5he
sculptor, (ho (or,s in the round, and in
/isible competition (ith the )orms o) li)e,
has to allo( )or the tric,s o) the ee! 3e
tric,s the ee that he ma su**est, beond
the literal contour, the mo/ement o) muscle
and the actual passa*e o) blood under the
s,in, the momentar creasin* o) )lesh ; and
he balances his hollo(s and bosses that he
ma su**est the pla o) air about li/in*
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)lesh G all his compromises are (ith )act, to
attain li)e! Ma not the art o) the dramatist
be in li,e manner a compromise (ith
the lo*ic o) his mechanism, a deliberate and
praise(orth t(istin* o) ends into means04
5he end o) techni2ue is not in itsel), but in
its ser/ice to the artist ; and the techni2ue,
(hich Mr! Crai* (ould end (ith, mi*ht,
i) it (ere carried out, be utilised b the
dramatist to his o(n incalculable ad/anta*e!
190=, 1906!