Word: johnstons
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...fact, Johnston feels that one of the worst aspects of the contemporary theatre is the mania for plays "made to order" with a deadline rather than written freely for their creative brilliance and original dialogue...
...becomes a playwright, Johnston said, "The only way to get your play read if you're a woman is to become secretary to the boss or prop girl at the theatre--in order to get to know the people who will eventually make decisions on scripts. On Friday say, 'I'll fix that for you over the weekend,' then come back with it done on Monday. The Big Boss thinks you're clever and you have a foot-hold on the ladder...
...Johnston not only disapproves of realism but also lashes out against the Stanislavsky method of acting. "The illusion of realism in the theatre is one of the biggest illusions of all. The slice of life is no more real than melodrama, which is considered outdated. To tell the actor to go out on the stage and imagine he's wrestling with an alligator is useless except in a play such as Peter Pan, which is not in the Stanislavsky tradition...
...Johnston defends the repertory theatre vigorously. "The repertory side of the theatre is the most interesting side, because it is the only place where the actor can play a great many roles and where the author can see his plays tried out without their having to be rewritten...
...Because far hills always seem greener, it's much easier for American playwrights to get their plays produced in England than here; and conversely, for British playwrights to have their plays produced in the United States. By providing fresh material, foreign plays help independent repertory groups ot continue," Johnston ended hopefully...