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A Historical Study of Gilmor Brown’s Fairoaks Playbox: 1924-1927 by Roger Monroe Altenberg A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Communication–Drama) January, 1964 2 i ii Copyright c by Roger Monroe Altenberg 1963 Acknowledgments The writer wishes to express his gratitude to the many individuals who helped him in his pursuit of information for thiB study. He owes especial thanks to Maurice Wells, Mademoiselle Jeanne Richert, and Professor Ralph Freud for granting numerous in- terviews and generously supplying significant documents. To Ruth Burdick, Professor Roger Stanton, Dr. Fairfax P. Walkup, Julia Farnsworth, Louise Loriiaer, Elizabeth Patterson, Charles Lane, Morris Ankruro, Mary Qreene, Bill Greer, Alice Baskin, and Aileen Oordien, he is similarly indebted. Thomas Browne Henry, Supervising Direc- tor, and Robert Rcnee, former Acting President of the Pasadena Playhouse, are both to be thanked for their kindness in providing access to facilities of the institution, Peg Ptershall and Iva Hayes of the Pasadena Playhouse Library were extremely helpful in locating elusive items. The expert civil engineer, Alfred D, Boyd, supplied a beauti- fully rendered tracing of the writer’s Playbox ground plan. The present owners of the Fairoaks Playbox building, the Voice of China and Asia, graciously permitted many visits to examine the structure. The photographs of the building as it appeared in 1959 were taken for the author by Peter Henderson. Finally, the writer is indebted to the late Qiliaor Brown, who gave of his time and effort to assist the progress of this research during the years of his last illness. Contents 1 INTRODUCTION 1 BackgroundoftheProblem... .... ... .... .... .... .... 1 StatementoftheProblem ........................... 3 DefinitionofTerms .............................. 4 SignificanceoftheStudy ........................... 6 ReviewoftheLiterature ........................... 6 SourcesofMaterial .............................. 9 Methods.................................... 13 2 GILMOR BROWN’S EXPERIENCE PRIOR TO ESTABLISHING THE FAIROAKS PLAYBOX 17 Brown’sFamilyBackgroundandEarlyYears . 17 Brown’sFirstProfessionalWork . 21 OutdoorNon-ProfessionalProductions . ... 23 AnIndoorProductionofaGreekTragedy . 25 FirstVisitstoCalifornia. 26 BecomingEstablishedinPasadena . 27 3 THEGENEALOGYOFTHEPLAYBOXCONCEPT 43 ExtremelyntimateTheatres. 43 OpenPlatformStages............................. 46 CircusStagingProposals . 50 FlexibleTheatres ............................... 54 PrivateClubTheatres ............................. 57 LaboratoryTheatres.............................. 58 Summary ................................... 59 4 ESTABLISHING THE PLAYBOX 61 Obstacles to Experimentation: the Fairoaks Playhouse Building....... 61 Obstacles in the Design of the El Molino Playhouse Building” ....... 61 Obstacles to an Experimental Repertory at the Playhouse . ....... 62 AcquiringaCo-Director . 63 TheSituationofthePlayhouseintheSpringof1924 . .... 64 ApproachtotheGoverningBoard . 64 iii iv CONTENTS AcquiringSponsorship .... .... ... .... .... .... ... .. 65 ThePhysicalPlant............................... 68 Summary ................................... 82 5 THE FIRST SEASON: 1924-1925 89 Production # 1. The Truth About Blayds October 29-31, November5-7,1924 92 Production # 2, Pelleas and Melisande November 26-28, December3-5,1924 99 Production # 3. The Chester Mystery: The Nativity December 22-27,1924. 107 Production # 4. American One-Act Plays: December 31, 1924; January 2, 8-10,1925................................ 108 Production # 5. March Hares January 28-30, l925; February 5-7,1925 . 109 Production# 6. The Tragedyof Nan March 4-6,11-13,1925 . .... 112 Production # 7. Desire April1-3,8-10,’l924. 116 ReactionstotheFirstSeason . 132 6 THE SECOND SEASON 133 Production#9. TheDiscoveryNovember2-7,1925 . ... 133 Production#10.BerniceDecember7-12,1925 . 146 Production # 11. The Two Virtues December 28-31, 1925; January 1 and 2, 1926................................... 154 Production # 12, The George Bernard Shaw Cycle February 1-6, 1926 . 157 FreudTakesOveratthe.Playbox. 158 Production#13.TheMolluscMarch1-6,1925 . 161 Production # 14. The Great Galeoto March 29April 3, 1926 . ..... 165 PublicityonCentralStagingatPlaybox . 169 Production#15.TheDragonMay3-8,1926. 170 TheSecondSeasonConcludes . 174 7 THE THIRD SEASON 177 TheThirdSeasonOpens . 177 Production # l6. “The Trackwalker’s Child” November15-20,1926 . 177 Production # 17. Anthony and Anna December6-11,1926. 179 Production # 18. “Noah’s Deluge” December20-25,1926 . 182 Production # 19. Rosmersholm January17-22,1927. 184 Production # 20. “Amelia” February28March5,1927 . 186 ExtraProductions ............................... 187 Production # 21. The Ship March28April2,1927 . 187 Production # 22. Justice April25-30,1927............................ 191 TheEndoftheFairoaksPlaybox . 196 CONTENTS v 8 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS CONCERNING THE PRODUCTION HISTORY OF THE FAIROAKS PLAYBOX 199 Introduction.................................. 199 TheRepertory................................. 199 TheStaging .................................. 204 TheScenery.................................. 214 TheLighting ................................. 216 TheActingTechnique. 218 TheUseofMakeup.............................. 225 TheActors................................... 227 Conclusions.................................. 227 A PRODUCTIONS OF THE FAIROAKS PLAYBOX 245 B LETTER CONCERNING ORIGINS OF FAIROAKS PLAYBOX, FROM GILMOR BROWN TO BROOKS ATKINSON 249 vi CONTENTS List of Figures 2.1 Tartuffe. June 21, 1920, Pasadena Community Playhouse. Simplified settingwithdraperybackground. 36 2.2 Much Ado About Nothing. March 24 1919¡ Pasadena Community Play- house. Projecting forestage and scenic facade in imitation of an Eliza- bethanplayhouse............................. 37 2.3 Brookside Park Outdoor theatre. Pasadena, The seats curved around theactingarea.(ThePiper,August30,1920.) . 38 2.4 Pilgrim’s Progress, July 13, 1920. Brookside Park OutdoorTheatre. 38 2.5 Pomander Walk. August 10, 1921, Brookside Park Outdoor Theatre. 39 4.1 The Fairoaks Playbox building. The front of the building, the Playbox Studiowasontheright.. 70 4.2 The north side of the Playbox building. The chimney and the three windows were in the Central Room. The bay window was within the West Room. The rear door originally opened onto a covered porch... 71 4.3 The Fairoaks Playbox building. The front porch. The door at center leads into the entry hall. The door at right leads into the EastAlcove.. 72 4.4 The entry hall of the Playbox building, The partly opened door leads directlyIntotheCentralRoomofthePlayboxStudio. .. 73 4.5 The interior of the Playbox Studio, looking eastward, as it appeared in 1959. t4e low ceiling and two of the windows of the East Alcove are visible. A partition cloBee off half of the original East Alcovearea. 75 4.6 She interior of the PlayboxStudio, lookingwestward. Past the archway of the West Room the edge of the bay window is visible on the right, Aportionofthecoveredstaircaseisontheleft. .. 76 4.7 The back wall of the Weal Room. The steps and doorway lead onto a landing at the foot of the covered staircase. Partially visible at the left isthedoorwaytotherearcorridor. 77 4.8 She peaked roof of the Central Room of the Playbox. The fluorescent fixtures are attached to three massive cross beams. Brown mounted his babyspotlightsonthesethreebeams.. 80 vii viii LIST OF FIGURES 4.9 Bie interior of the light booth as seen from the corridor. ’She switch- board Mas originally mounted in the recess on the right. The narrow door, with its rectangular peep-hole covered, opens into the Central RoomofthePlaybox........................... 81 4.10 FloorplanoftheFairoaksPlaybox.. .. 83 4.11 Elevation, east side of the interior of the Fairoaks Playboxstudio.. 84 4.12 Elevation,northside. 85 4.13 Elevation,westside. .. .... ... .... .... .... ... .. 86 4.14 Elevation,southside. 87 5.1 Reconstruction of end staging floor plan, The Truth About the Blayds. 93 5.2 The Truth About Blayds. The drapery background completely closed offtheEastAlcove ........................... 96 5.3 4eTryth About glayde, The actors, from left to right were Rowena El- liot, Robert Orlffin, Walter Ogler, Helene Millard, Helen HardiBon, GilmorBrown,MauriceWe lie, andMra,Walter Ogier. 97 5.4 Reconstruction of deep end staging floor plan, Pelleas and Melisande. 101 5.5 Pelleaa and, Melisande. The love scene at the fountain in the gar- den.Mervin Williams as Pelleas, Lois Austin as Melisande. ..... 103 5.6 Pelleas and Melisande. Go laud’s room. Robert Griffin aB Go laud, Lois’AuStinasMelisande. 104 5.7 Pellea8andMeltgandeiedeathofMelisande, . ... 104 5.8 Reconstruction of L staging floor plan, March Hares. ......... 111 5.9 Reconstruction of end staging floor plan, The Tragedy of Nan. .... 115 5.10A .................................... 119 5.11 Reconstruction of floor plan of seating and set, “Desire”. ....... 120 5.12 Triangular grouping, first phase. (“Desire,” Act One, p.11.) ..... 121 5.13 Triangular grouping, second phase. (“Desire,” Act One,p.11.) . 122 5.14 A “line-up,” first example. (“Desire,” Act Two, p. 28.) . ....... 122 5.15 A “line-up,” second example, (“Desire, Act Three, p. 2 ?.) ...... 123 5.16 Rotation of positions, first phase, (“Desire,” Act One, p.33.) . 123 5.17 Rotation of positions, second phase, (investigator’s reconstruction, based on Wells’