Show REVIEW OF DRAMATIC HISTORY or OF CITY STATE by albert 0 mitchell continued from last week this is the second installment of a history of the drama as it pertains to parowan carowan Pa rowan the state of utah a and nd the L D S church any comm comment en t on an what is contained in them is is w wel e I 1 corned coined by the author it is a queer commentary on the perversity of human affairs that the drama which emerged from the ceremonies of primitive religions and e evolved with those of civilized wor ohp should have been lates cast from its temple scourge scourged urged 4 from the very doorstep of that theater which bore it no less paradoxical is the fact that from the depths of its disgrace in in pious eyes the drama should have been rescued by a christian church and yet strange as it may seem it is nevertheless a fact that the mormon church in rather sharp contrast to other Christ christian lad denominations believed in and was fond of the drama and theater at a time when such a belief was as daring as the doctrine of peurl marriage in fact even in the early days of the church the theater was so popular among the mormons cormons that almost every town and settlement had its dramatic company this interest in drama dates from early times even as early as 1830 when the saints moved from new york to kirtland ohio and in kirtland lived fathers of many men who were later to tread the boards of the famous old salt lake theater in kirtland ho weber and in missouri our especially there was enough drama in everyday life to satisfy most every mormon and left little time for artistic expression in the theater but in the early days of nauvoo the beautiful the first real efforts in dramatic affairs were made there joseph the prophet fond of good clean sports himself often enga finy in foo tracing wrestling and other sports organized a dramatic company and encouraged the production of classical plays one can imagine the righteous wrath of the jeremy collier author of A short view of the immorality and profaneness eness of the english stage at such a situation to nauvoo came thomas A lyne a convert from philadelphia who had appeared on the new york stage with junius brutus booth charlotte cushman and others and who himself had starred in bulwer Lyt tons richelieu lyne was encouraged cou raged by both joseph smith and brigham young and among his nau productions were Virgira Virgi rilus ius the iron chest william tell damon and pythias pizarro his productions duct ions so influenced the community that Birg birgham harn young himself played the high priest in pizarro 1 his players included also erastus snow and george A smith who later organized the drama in southern utah the campfire entertainments oi 01 the mormon exodus are known to every son or daughter of the pioneers the splendid orchestras in some companies the excellent singing with some interpretative recitations and slight dramatizations but there was not sufficient liesure to admit these things as more than entertainment relaxation and escape the same is almost true of the first years in the salt lake vally valley the pioneers were too earnest in till ing and building during their first three years to indulge in activities beyond work and worship but in 1850 the first dramatic organization was effected and plays were given in the old bowery and such other places until the erection of the social hall in 1852 at the west end of motor avenue but even these establishments did not satisfy brigham and the brethren who in 1862 completed the famous salt lake theater put together by nails and other materials salvaged from the wreck of the johnsons army supply trains at old fort bridger and in this old theater really a fulfillment of bernard shaws wish I 1 for 0 r a c dramatic r a ma tic cathedral of the spirit transpired ita many marvelous things in this house many a mormons cormons valley bound horizons were widened pushed out to the far distant lands of shakespeare and Mo moliere lieret ot of ingomar and william tell As edward W aulidge put it the salt lake theater was elevated to the cast of a dramatic temple and made a school for the public for the study of human nature which was the object of all the plays play of our solomon brigham young of the anglo saxon stage 11 not in the entire saga of the stage mr said was it ever so sacredly endowed not even shakespeare booth Il forrest florrest Orrest macready any of the illustrious thespians in the great traditions dared to dream so high a function for his art hereafter it may be regarded as one of the strange and wonderful things in dramatic that brigham young a man of no art cult culture ure beyond that which was self elf evolved but the high priest of a dispi disposed sed church should have so lifted the theater to the conception of the great high priests prie sits of the stage the salt lake eke I theater was dedicated with solemn prayer and cere moy as befits any place of worship it proved a blessing to the isolated saints in the wilderness bringing culture and understanding into their lives its organization influenced fluen ced those of all outlying mormon communities particularly those in parowan carowan and saint george to be continued |