WORKSHOP PLAY AUTHOR TELLS OF SCENE AND PLOT

"Catskill Dutch," said Mr. Brink, author of the play which will be given at the first public 47 Workshop performance on February 19, "brings before the public eye, a section of the country which until the last few years has been completely isolated from the adjoining regions. The Dutch farmers of the New York Catskills came to this country at the same time as the Puritan fathers, and like them came with strict religious views. They settled on the West bank of the Hudson in the Catskills, far from the regular routes of travel and business, keeping their religious views and old customs and speech long after the Puritans.

The scene of the play is laid in a Dutch villege of the Catskill mountains in 1870, and deals with the effect of the repressive influence of the old-fashioned community on the characters of its inhabitants, especially the women. The plot of the play is modelled on a true incident, related to Mr. Brink, who is himself a native of the Catskills.

"In the old days among the Catskill Dutch," continued Mr. Brink, "the man was the sole head of the family, ruling every one in his household with an iron hand. Women among the Dutch were inferior creatures, under no circumstances ever as important as men."

Besides writing plays Mr. Brink has served as an actor in the 47 Workshop productions and has written a novel.