Coburns See Great Possibilities in Community Theatre Idea

"I see tremendous forces for good in the community theatre idea," replied Mr. Ernest Coburn when questioned on this subject in a recent interview for the CRIMSON. Mr. and Mrs. Coburn, who have just finished a Boston engagement in "French Leave," a play they brought over this summer from London, are remembered in Boston for their work in "The Better 'Ole" last season. They have also played in Shakesperian roles with success.

"Community drama is not fully developed in this country yet, however," continued Mr. Coburn. "It is hardly more than an outgrowth of our amateur dramatic societies, at present.

"The community drama has great possibilities as a training field for the actor, playwright, and producer. A young actor cannot develop when surrounded by friends in amateur dramatics. He must get before an audience that does not know him: for friends, you know, are often cruel in their flattering criticism. Only then can he judge his work; can he tell whether he has the personality-- magnetism I prefer to call it since "personality" is often misused--to become a true actor.

No Success Without Magnetism

"Of course, an actor must be able to step into his part absolutely but he cannot 'get it over the footlights' without an underlying magnetism, for it is this fundamental magnetism which distinguishes the good from the bad actor. A man may be good in dramatic technique--his mechanics, so to speak, may be perfect-- but if one feels the lack of this foundation stone one cannot but classify the man as a poor actor. The same is partially applicable to the playwright, but the chief advantage of the community theatre to him is the opportunity it affords for closer touch with his audience and greater cooperation with his producer."

Mrs. Coburn now entered the room and entered into the discussion after the topic of the conversation had been explained to her.

"You have forgotten the most impressive part of the community drama," Mrs. Coburn began, "and that is its training of the people. America has no great artistic theatrical background. We do not have the wonderfully organized theatre for the people that Germany and other foreign countries have, which is great lack. I believe every population center from the little hamlet to the largest city should have a community center for drama and kindred arts in order that people may hear and see good things and learn to seek them.

"I don't advocate eleborate productions entailing tremendous expense in the community center," Mrs. Coburn continued, "It is not the glittering superficialities that count, it is the creating of a desire for the best--the deeper things--and the uniting of great communities in an inspiring common work--such as we saw in the war activities--that is the soul of the community theatre idea.

Boston Has No Theatre Going Habit

"The stage affects the younger people more than any other form of art--for after all the stage is an art though we sometimes seem to forget it. So a direct product of the community theatre will be the turning of the theatre-going habit of the young into higher channels.

"Boston has no theatre-going habit, when compared with other cities. I suppose that is because of its many big homes. New York, you see, is merely a state of mind,--it is a physical impossibility to have the homes and the home life there that you have in Boston, and I imagine that is why Boston only wakes up to the good things of the stage when they are about to leave because of wretched support."

"That is a regrettable fact," agreed Mr. Coburn. "You ask me if Boston gets the best things of the stage? My answer is that Boston gets, and will get, exactly what it supports. If it will support opera, because it is the socially correct thing to go to it, Boston will get opera, but it will not get all the best things unless a true theatre-going habit is aroused and a real demand for them established."