The Long Voyage Home written by the American playwright Eugene O'Neill and produced by Provincetown Players at the Playwright's Theater, New York City, in 1917

   A scene from The Long Voyage Home written by the American playwright Eugene O'Neill (1888 - 1953) and first produced by Provincetown Players at the Playwright's Theater, New York City, on November 2, 1917.

   The Long Voyage Home was directed by Nina Moise, whom O’Neill felt would protect his plays.  Alfred Kreymborg describes his observation of a rehearsal of the play in his autobiography:  "The stage . . . was set in a villainous bar-room.  Sailors and longshoremen were roaring and cursing in the raciest of language of the sea, cuffing and mauling one another and finally turning on one of their number and sandbagging him senseless.  Were it not for the expert characterization of each individual part, and the natural sequence of the amazing plot, that business up there would remind one of an old Bowery melodrama."

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Two scenes from Dear Brutus (1917) written by James M. Barrie, and produced at the Wyndham's Theatre in the West End, London, between 17 October 1917 and 24 August 1918

   Two scenes from Dear Brutus (1917) written by the Scottish playwright James M. Barrie (1860-1937), and produced at the Wyndham's Theatre in the West End, London,  between 17 October 1917 and 24 August 1918, running for 363 performances. 

   Dear Brutus is a fantasy play by J. M. Barrie, depicting alternative realities for its characters and their eventual return to real life. The title is a reference to a line from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves"

Mary Casson - Sir Gerald du Maurier in Barries Dear Brutus

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If (1921) written by Lord Dunsany and performed on Broadway at the Little Theatre where it opened on October 25, 1927.

   A scene from If (a play in four acts, first published in 1921) written by the Irish playwright Lord Dunsany (1878-1957) and performed on Broadway at the Little Theatre where it opened on October 25, 1927 and closed November 1. 

   The production was staged by Agnes Morgan, and starred Walter Kingsford as John Beal and Margot Lester as Miralda Clement. The costumes were designed by Aline Bernstein and made by Helene Pons Studio.

   If premiered in the West End at the Ambassadors Theatre in London on 30 May 1921. It ran there for a 180 performances; closing on 29 October 1921. The production starred Henry Ainley as John Beal and Gladys Cooper as Miralda Clement.

   New York Times :  1927/10/30  WIT AND CLOWNING; In "If" Dunsany Tales His Hand at Modish Satire ...   Alas, Dunsany is too much the gentleman to wear the jester's motley comfortably, and “If” emerges as a thin, trickling garden party diversion.

Die Stadt der Besessenen (The City of the Possessed, An Anabaptist Play in Three Acts), witten by Wilhelm Schmidtbonn (1876-1952), and performed at the Altes Theater, Leipzig, in 1917.

A scene from Die Stadt der Besessenen (The City of the Possessed, An Anabaptist Play in Three Acts), witten by the German playwright Wilhelm Schmidtbonn (1876-1952), and performed at the Altes Theater, Leipzig, in 1917.

Failed and chased away in Leiden, Jan Bockelson, preacher of the Anabaptists, wants to give his all in Münster. The city is to become the center of Anabaptist teaching, the new Jerusalem. 

 Jan Bokelson (Kurt Stieler, 1877–1963) and Hille Feiken (the prominent actress, author, and friend of Rilke and Sigmund Freud: Ellen Delp, 1890–1990).

Masquerade (four-act-tragedy 1835) written by the Russian playwright Mikhail Lermontov (1814 - 1841), and premiered in St. Petersburg, under the direction of Vsevolod Meyerhold (1874 -1940), in 1917.

A scene from Masquerade (four-act-tragedy 1835) written by the Russian playwright Mikhail Lermontov (1814 - 1841), and premiered in St. Petersburg, under the direction of Vsevolod Meyerhold (1874 -1940), in 1917.

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A Doll’s House, directed by Joseph De Grasse and starring Dorothy Phillips, in 1917.

   A Doll’s House,  directed by Joseph De Grasse and starring Dorothy Phillips, in 1917.

   In the US during the silent period, four film adaptations of Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House (Et dukkehjem) from 1879, were produced, all of which are considered to be lost films: a 1917 production directed by Joseph De Grasse and starring Dorothy Phillips.

The Breasts of Tiresias (Mamelles de Tirésias, 1903) by the French playwright Guillaume Apollinaire, and produced in 1917

A scene from The Breasts of Tiresias (Mamelles de Tirésias, a surrealist play, 1903) by the French playwright Guillaume Apollinaire (1880 - 1918), and produced at the Maubel Conservatory on June 24, 1917, with the set and costumes designed by Serge Férat (1881 -1958).

Les Mamelles de Tirésias is a "surrealist" drama in two acts and a prologue by Guillaume Apollinaire, premiered at the Maubel Conservatory on June 24, 1917 in a staging by Pierre Albert-Birot, sets by Serge Férat and costumes by Irène Lagut. The music is by Germaine Albert-Birot.

Les Mamelles di Tirésias, 1917, design by Serge Férat

Spring Awakening (1891) written by Frank Wedekind, and produced first in the English language in New York City, starring Fania Marinoff in 1917.

   A scene from Spring Awakening (Frühlings Erwachen, published in 1891) written by the German playwright Frank Wedekind (1864 - 1918), and produced first in the English language at the 39th Street Theatre in New York City, starring Fania Marinoff (1890 - 1971), Sidney Carlyle, and Geoffrey C. Stein, in 1917. 

   The first English production took place in New York City in 1917, and was met with much controversy. This performance was threatened with closure when the city's Commissioner of Licenses claimed that the play was pornographic. 

   New York Times :  1917/05/03  COURT BARS SEX PLAY.; Justice Erlanger Finds "The Awakening ...  Supreme Court Justice Erlanger decided yesterday that the production of Frank Wedekind's play, “The Awakening of Spring,” one matinée of which was recently given in English translation

   

Fania Marinoff (right) 

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Set design by Lee Simonson (1888 -1967) for the scene of Saint Joan written by Bernard Shaw, 1917

Set design of 1917 by Lee Simonson (1888 -1967) for the scene of Saint Joan written by the English playwright Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950), though first performed as late as 1923.

Ein Geschlecht (1917) written by Fritz von Unruh and produced in Frankfurt am Main in 1918

A scene from Ein Geschlecht (tragedy 1917)  written by the German playwright Fritz von Unruh (1885 - 1970) and produced in Frankfurt am Main under the direction of Gustav Haltzung? with the stage-design by Babberger in 1918.

Masquerade (four-act-tragedy 1835) written by Mikhail Lermontov (1814 - 1841), and premiered in St. Petersburg, in 1917.

A scene from Masquerade (four-act-tragedy 1835) written by the Russian playwright Mikhail Lermontov (1814 - 1841), and premiered at the Alexandrinsky Theatre in St. Petersburgon, Russia, on February 25, 1917, under the direction of Vsevolod Meyerhold (1874 -1940).

Masquerade (Drama) by M. Y. Lermontov
Director ..................................... V. E. Meyerhold
Artist ............................................. Golovin
Composer ........................................ A. K. Glazunov

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John Gabriel Borkman (Play in four acts, 1896) written by Henrik Ibsen (1828 - 1906), and produced at the Deutsches Theatre of Berlin, on February 15 or 22, 1917.

A stage sketch from John Gabriel Borkman (Play in four acts, 1896) written by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828 - 1906) drawn by Ernst Stern (Romanian-German scenic designer, 1876 - 1954 ), for the production at the Deutsches Theatre of Berlin, on February 15 or 22, 1917.

Escape (1926) written by John Galsworthy and produced at the Ambassadors Theatre, London, in 1926

A scene from Escape (1926) written by the British playwright John Galsworthy (1867 - 1933) and produced at the Ambassadors Theatre, London, running from August 12, 1926 to October 1926, starring Nicholas Hannen, with Leon M. Lion, Ursula Jeans, Frank Freeman, Molly Kerr, Phyllis Konstam, Ann Codrington, Margaret Halstan, Ethel Manning, Paul Gill, Stafford Hilliard, Betty Astell and Austin Trevor in the cast.

A scene from Justice (1910) written by John Galsworthy and produced at the Renaissance- Bühne, Wien, around 1925

A scene from Justice (Justiz 1910) written by the British playwright John Galsworthy (1867 - 1933) and produced at the Renaissance- Bühne, Wien, around 1925.

Back to Methuselah (1918-20) written by George Bernard Shaw and produced at the Düsseldorf's theatre (Schauspielhaus), Germany, around 1925

A scene from Back to Methuselah (Zurück zu Methusalem, 1918-20) written by the British playwright George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)  and produced at the Düsseldorf's theatre (Schauspielhaus), Germany, around 1925.

Hofer, Johanna - Actress, German/ in role with Anne Kersten (r.) as 'Eva' with Anne Kersten as 'snake' in the play Back to Methusalem, performed in the Tribüne in Berlin, 1925

Die Bürger von Calais (1912 - 13) written by Georg Kaiser and produced possibly on 29 January 1917 at the Neues Theater in Frankfurt am Main.

   A scene from Die Bürger von Calais (1912 - 13, its premiere in 1917) written by the German playwright Georg Kaiser (1878 - 1945) and produced possibly on 29 January 1917 at the Neues Theater in Frankfurt am Main.

   The drama The Citizens of Calais – Stage Play in Three Acts was created in 1912/1913 in a first version, inspired by Rodin's sculpture, which had already become famous. It found its final form in 1914 and was premiered on 29 January 1917 at the Neues Theater in Frankfurt am Main under the direction of Arthur Hellmer. 

Trifles (1916), written by Susan Gaspell and performed at the Washington Square Theatre, New York City, in January 1917.

A scene from Trifles (a play in one-ac, first published and performed in 1916), written by the American playwright Susan Gaspell (Pulitzer-Prize winner, 1876-1948) and performed at the Washington Square Theatre?, New York City, in January 1917, starring Marjorie Vonnegut, Elinor M. Cox, John King, Arthur E. Hohl, and T. W. Gibson.

   Trifles, A Play in One Act, By Susan Glaspell was premiered by the Provincetown Players at the Wharf Theatre, Provincetown, Mass., August 8, 1916.

ORIGINAL CAST

George Henderson, County Attorney Robert Rogers

Henry Peters, Sheriff Robert Conville

Lewis Hale, A Neighboring Farmer  George Cram Cook

Mrs. Peters   Alice Hall

Mrs. Hale Susan Glaspell

   A talented and greatly admired amateur actress who performed in all her staged works (as well as in many other plays), she and her second husband founded the Wharf Theater in Provincetown, Massachusetts (which later moved to New York City). Better known as the Provincetown Playhouse, it was the first modern American theater company which rejected the commercialism of Broadway's sentimental melodramas.

   Another early  performance of Trifles, on Aug 30, 1916, at the Comedy Theatre, New York City.

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