" CONTINENTAL STAGECRAFT."
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]
SIR,—The International Theatre Exhibition opened in Amster- dam during February of 1922, filling ten large rooms. It came on to London, was enlarged, housed at the Victoria and Albert Museum ; and I believe some 50,000 people visited it in six weeks. It went on to Manchester, was dis- played to great advantage in the City Art Gallery, many people went to see it. It passed to Glasgow, 180,000 people saw it ; then to Bradford, where now it is. So, in all, about 200,000 people in England have seen this part of the work which the European and American Theatres have received more or less as a gift from the artists.
supplement to the International Theatre Exhibition. two young Americans, Mr. MacGowan and Mr. Jones, the first a writer, the second a draughtsman, went the .round of Europe from April to June, 1922, recording what they saw on sixty different evenings. England had nothing to offer these two young men, who wanted to see what was being boldly adventured, not what was being timidly avoided or safely repeated. The Beggar's Opera and the Old Vic., Mr. Hay. trey and some other brilliant performers, were already well known by 1922. The two Americans wanted to put on record bold and brilliant attempts to go further than what was done last time. I have never yet heard any one question the soundness of such a wish, and this intention became a reality. Continental Stagecraft was published at the end of 1922.
I think that since you were one of the first to urge on London the value of holding an Exhibition, it would be helpful if you could entrust someone to review the book Continental. Stagecraft at length, for it is full of interest, with 82 full- page drawings and eight in colours ; and the public deserves to hear more about it than the " hasty glance " which your inspector gave it allowed of.—I am, Sir, &c., GORDON CRAIG. [We deal with the book in this issue.—En. Spectator.]
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