EBOLSHEVISTS AT THE THEATR

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 184, 30 April 1919, Page 7

EBOLSHEVISTS AT THE THEATR

MANAGERIAL/DIFFICULTIES,

A Russian • newspaper reproduces the following description of.' theatrical life iri Moscow by a dramatic critic who recently visited the city— .. , Theatrical life in Moscow is curious. The audience consists of the democracy of the. city, and the price is—anything. This is the kind of thing that happaw nowadays at the theatre. •. A few days ago a play was being acted "at the Ivorsh. At tho end of the first net some Soviet deputies strolled into tlio" theatre, and sat down to find that the. first act had finished. They immediately 'demanded it to bo started again, and this had to bo done. . -~ii The same evening at the Tuiudozhesr- : venni Theatre, just beforo the ment of the play, the maimer was summon to tho telephone, and wns informed that in consequence of .the late.arrival of somo Soviet deputies the eurtain must not go up for half an hour. He was obliged to carry, out these orders,. At the end of half an hour the telephone bell again rang, and lie was informed that a. further postponement of an hour' must take place. It was explained that the actors and actresses were nil ready and were growing nervous at the delay, aud that the audience was 'becoming restless, but tho oulv reply, rpeeived was! thai if the orrHwa= net cnrviM out the theatre would be closed forthwith on the following day. Tho management gave in. ' The nationalisation 'of all.tho Moscow theatres is imminent.

Councillor W. H. Bennett, at a iDjj of electors held at Wadestown, iiv referring to tho work of ilie Libraries Committee, mentioned the great success tlmt had attended the endeavours to provide tho various schools of- tho city and suburbs with healthy literature, and said the only jarring note had come from Wadestown, where those responsible had promptly returned the box of books provided unopened. The secretary of tie Wadestown School Committee states that on August 5, 1913, 78 hooks were received by the school from the Public Library, and on July 22, 1014, tho books were returned after being in use for practic-. ally a year. On returning tho books tho headmaster thanked the librarian for tho loan of the .books, and at tho .same time informed him that . tho Wadestown School had a library of its own, and suggested that the books might bo sent to soiuo school which had no library. On .July 30, 191-1, 133 books we.ro purchased to angmont the school library, which at that time consisted of. about •tOO books. Tho secretary adds-that neither tho headmaster nor the committee has any knowledge of a case of books being received and returned unopened. (The oablo news in this Ibsuo , accredited to tho London "Times" has appeared In that Journal but only where oxpreßslj•tatod is Buch now# tho editorial opinion of the "Timei.")