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Show ! LETTER FROM JANE HADINQ. i . Bba Detcrlbea Some of the Minor Theatre The-atre of I'arla. ' Special Oorresnoiiuenc.! ; Paris, Nov. 10. Among the many mmller theatres recently founded in Puris is the Thcatro tl' Application, '; which was established iii January, 1888, by M. Bodinier, formerly 8cretary of tho Theatre Franeais. It is nituate ia tho narrowest part of tho rue St. Lazare, at No. IS, just it few steps from ti;e church of Notro Damo do Lorette. , This modest but useful etnge was opcJied with tt view of affording pupils of the Conservatoire u practice field. Mil. Oot, Dclaunay, Worms and Mail-bant, Mail-bant, in their double capacity as shinin' lightsof tho national theatroandas leading lead-ing profesikirs at, tho Conservatoire, havo uustained M. Bodinier in his venture with tho utmost energy, as it is mainly their own pupils', and consequently their i own reputation, that U netit thereby. M. j Bodmier, tho manager, is tho right man j in tho right place. Last year, to tho re- I pret of all who know him, he had to ro-nign ro-nign his positionussecretaryof tho Com- I cdio Francuiso in conserjnenco of tho development de-velopment his theatre has taken and tho I urgent necessity for tho constant presence pres-ence there of a master mind. As for tho tinanckil result, time nlono can show how it will answer; but tho promoters wonld appear, considering tho compani-. compani-. tive? lightness of tho expenses, to have every reason for confidence in this ro-epoot.. ro-epoot.. , : Perhaps ono of tho most Biugnlar and ' interesting of modern theatrical attempts is that of M. Maurice Bouehor, tho brilliant brill-iant poet, who, in May, 1888, opened at his own risk and expense a Btnall housa in the Galerie Vivienno, where during the winter season dramatic representations re given in which, strangely enough, j puppets are substituted in the scene for human performers. Tho interpreters, as I say, are mere inariouuettos, but they do work of a higher order thau that usually . expected from flesh and blood actors and actresses, for they render the masterpieces . of euch transcendent writers as vEschy-lus, vEschy-lus, Aristophanes, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Cer-vantes, Calderon, Lopo do Vega, Machia- 1 velli, for which ordinary comedians are rarely suited. Tho marionnettes worked by M. Signoret go through their pantomimic pan-tomimic display while tho parts of each are read by auxiliaries behind the scenes. Among the friends who second M. Maurice Mau-rice Bouchor's efforts this way uro MM. Felix Bouehor, Iris brother, a painter of j considerablo talent; Raoul Ponchon. ! Felix Rabbe, Amedeo Pigeon, Miles. Cecile Dorello and Paula Verne, nil gifted as artists or litterateurs. Most of tho plays hitherto produced aro in veif-o from the facile pen of M. Maurice- Bouehor Bou-ehor or put into now form by that scholarly schol-arly and accomplished writer. Lord Lytton, who was present with his family when Shakespeare's "Tempest" "Tem-pest" was first given, expressed to tho originator of this novelty M. Maurice Bouehor spoaks English fluently his de- . light at the performance, tho translat ion in verse of tho play, and the music introduced. in-troduced. M. Renan grew quite enthn- , Biastio over the pretty fantoccini, and ! wrote a letter to the newspapers wherein ho formulates his own theatrical aspira- . tions. . Tho ideal theatre ho holds to be the grandest of literary instruments; the . actual modern theatre a mean and des- .. . picable affair.. Ho would restore the an- ! tiqne stago, making each performance a - ' eolemnity, "announced," as he says, "to tho universe in advanco," in which tho ' most able actors, instructed by the greatest philosophers and critics, nhould render tho works of the most illustrious poets before a whole nation assembled. M. Renan is inclined to hopo that the marionnetto performances may mark tho opening of a new era. M. Bouehor is, perhaps, less sanguine i in his views, although much might bo Said in favor of M. Renan's opinion. The red ribbon of tho legion of honor with which a gracious muso has recently decorated dec-orated the buttonholo of M. Maurice Bouehor, is a tribute fairly earned by the young and deserving poet, whom we may dome day see a member of tho French academy. In November, 1RS7, a new theatre called call-ed Theatre des Jennes Theatre of the Young was oiiened in tho same house where M. Bouehor exhibits his marionnettes. marion-nettes. with the avowed ob.iect of iif- fording a hearing to untried playwrights, if. Desroches, the manager, has since Cpened a playhouse in which pieces not accepted by tho regular theatres, after a Fticcossful performance, aro played on Sunday afternoons. An association called Theatre des Es-tourneaulx Es-tourneaulx Theatre of the Oiddyhends also makes use of the same stago occasionally oc-casionally for the study of dramatic plays and tho production of original pieces in prose and verse. It is a sort of Bchool for young actors and actresses. Such schools furnish to the dramatic profession some good beginners iu the art of acting. Of conrso they do not pretend to turn out first class artistes. The Theatre du Faradis Latin was established es-tablished two years ago, and seems to be on tho high road to fortune. It depends chiefly for its audiences upon the peophu of the Latin quarter, in which it is situated. sit-uated. The students, who are quite at home inside its doors, give a "review" of their own on its stage every year, when they all attend in force. f Then there are the Theatre Independ- Ent, or des Independants, iu the run Fontaine; Fon-taine; the Theatre des Folles do Lyon, with its underground sights called "tho Catacombs," at No. 12 rue do Lyon; the Theatre d' Amateurs, which opened its doors April 1, 18S9; tho Theatre Moderno, founded by M. Ponaud, formerly for-merly administrator general at the Renaissance theatre, all of which have in view some novel featuro iu common with the houses previously described. Yet another playhouse of the same sort, called tho Theatre des Refuses, was recently re-cently established by MM. Preval, Leon Albin and Paul Campana. The musical world is also following nuit, for wo have the Theatre Lyriqno Independant, established by M. Henry Colas, and tho Concert Libre, of which M. Theodore Massaic, tho musical critic, is the ruling spirit. Jane Hadlnu, |