Excerpt from Nights at the Play

This book appears in a moment of renewed hope for the future of the British Theatre. For years the weakness of our stage has been its ever-growing domination by the English capital. If there was a new play to he produced it had to be produced in London. If a Yorkshire woman or a Lancashire man felt moved to go upon the stage the journey to London had to be taken before he or she had the slightest chance of realising the ambition. As temples of a new Drama or schools of the actors art, the provincial theatres practically ceased to exist. They were all open, week after week, for little more than London Successes, played by actors and actresses strictly drilled to sink any personality and art of their own in the closest possible imitation of the performances of their London prototypes.

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