Plays for Amateurs.—<
These two lists are more literary than dramatic in their bias). The play brokers publish lists of the latest plays; consult the 'New York Dramatic Mirror Date Book' and the Drama League 'Plays for Amateurs' for a list of play brokers. Translations of the best foreign plays are to be found in the important drama tic reviews, The Drama Quarterly, The Dramatist and Poet Lore.
Copyright.— The copyright laws of the United States are somewhat stricter and nar rower than similar laws in Europe; for no per formance of a copyright play may be given without permission, even where the perform ances are free to the public. It should be ob served that until we have a uniform copyright law all British plays may be publicly performed without a permit, even in the United Kingdom, if there be no charge for public admission.
Needless to say, if any British play be duly copyrighted in the United States, the domestic law applies. The title page, or the page that immediately follows, will have one of the three necessary imprints of copyright if the work be copyrighted in form. Should there be any doubt in regard to registration, reference may be made to the catalogue of all such copyrighted works on file at the public libraries; or, the question may be directly put to the Register of Copyrights, D. C., who will gladly extend the required information. Any in fringement of copyright by performers may lead to damages.
Bibliography.— Angus, J. K., 'Amateur Acting> (London 1913) ; 'Amateur's Hand book: A Guide to Home Theatricals' (New York 1910) ; Auvergne, Jean d', The Moscow Art Theatre' (in Fortnightly Review, London 1914); (The Art of Making-up, as taught with other things at the American Academy of Dramatic Art' (in Werner's Magazine, New York 1899) ; Beegle, M. P., and Crawford, J., 'Community Drama and Pageantry' (New Haven 1916. Contains the best selected lists of advanced literature on every branch of the theatrical art); Browne, Van Dyke, of Scene-painting and Stage Effects' (New York; old-fashioned; useful still; illustrated with diagrams). Gordon Craig's (On the Art of the Theatre' and 'Towards a New Theatre,' will act as good foils to the above. So also will two recent American volumes 'The Theatre of To-day,' by H. K. Moder well (New York 1914), and 'The New Move ment in the Theatre,' by Sheldon Cheney (New York 1915). 'The Stage Year Book' pub lished each January in London is excellent. Consult all the numbers from 1908. Bullivant, C. H., (The Drawing Room Entertainer' (Lon don 1904) ; Campbell, H., Speech and Gesture' (London 1904) ; Diderot, Denis, (De la poesie dramatique' (in Euvres completes, edited by J. Assizat, Vol. VII) ; Filippi, Rosina, 'Hints to Speakers and Players' (London 1911; unconventional; very useful and inspir ing); Fitzgerald, Percy, (The Art of Acting' (London 1892; standard work) ; Gregory, Lady Augusta, (Our Irish Theatre' (New York 1913); Hornblow, A., (Training for the Stage' (New York 1916) ; Howard, H. H., (The Toy Theatre of Boston' (in The Drama Quarterly, Chicago 1914); 'How I Make Up,' by a well-known actor (in Royal Magazine, Vol. V, London 1901) ; Hunt, E. R.
'The Play of To-Day' (New York 1913) ; Mackay, Constance D'Arcy, 'Costume and Scenery for Amateurs; a practical working handbook' (New York 1915; best work of the kind for amateurs; contains numerous costume, scene and property plates, drawn conventionally as a basis for experimentation, with directions for procuring and making all requirements, in accord with the new stage art) ; Mackaye, Percy, 'The Playhouse and the Play' (New York 1909) ; Morton, Cavendish, 'The Art of Theatrical Make-up' (London; the one book on the subject of any art value; splendidly illustrated) ; Neil, C. L., 'Amateur Theatricals' (London 1904) ; Taylor, Emerson, 'Practical Stage Directions. for Amateurs' (New York 1916 conventional compilation) ; Thalasso, A., 'Le Theatre Libre, 1887-96' (Paris 1906); Young, James, 'Making-up' (New York 1905). Periodicals.—The Drama Quarterly (Chicago) ; The Dramatic Index (Boston) ; The Dramatic Mirror (New York) ; The Dramatist (Easton, Pa.); Poet Lore (Boston). See COMMUNITY