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_The Drama League Series of Plays_
_VOLUME II_
A THOUSAND YEARS AGO
A ROMANCE OF THE ORIENT
BY
PERCY MACKAYE
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY
CLAYTON HAMILTON
[Illustration]
“_Here in China the world lies a-dream, like a thousand
Years ago, and the place of our dreams is eternal_”
GARDEN CITY 1914 NEW YORK
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
_Copyright, 1914, by_
PERCY MACKAYE
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY THE SHUBERT THEATRICAL CO.
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| In its present form this play is dedicated to the reading |
| public only, and no performances of it may be given. Any |
| piracy or infringement will be prosecuted in accordance |
| with the penalties provided by the United States Statutes:— |
| |
| SEC. 4966.—Any person publicly performing or |
| representing any dramatic or musical composition, for which |
| copyright has been obtained, without the consent of the |
| proprietor of the said dramatic or musical composition, |
| or his heirs or assigns, shall be liable for damages |
| therefor, such damages in all cases to be assessed at such |
| sum, not less than one hundred dollars for the first and |
| fifty dollars for every subsequent performance, as to the |
| Court shall appear to be just. If the unlawful performance |
| and representation be wilful and for profit, such person |
| or persons shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon |
| conviction be imprisoned for a period not exceeding one |
| year.—U. S. Revised Statutes, Title 60, Chap. 3. |
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TO
HERMANN HAGEDORN
Singer of flashing swords
Lover of olden songs
“Miming Romance, seductive Adventure
Amorous Magic, improvised Comedy
And all the love-charming, blood-thirsty Enchantments
Our prosy old workaday world has lost wind of”
THE AUTHOR
Percy MacKaye, the author of this play, was born in New York City, March
16, 1875—a son of Steele MacKaye. He graduated from Harvard with the
class of 1897 and shortly afterward spent two years in Italy and at the
University of Leipzig. In 1904 he joined the Cornish (New Hampshire)
Colony and has since devoted himself to literary and dramatic work. He
is a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters.
Following is a list of his published works:
THE CANTERBURY PILGRIMS: A Comedy.
THE CANTERBURY TALES OF CHAUCER.
FENRIS, THE WOLF: A Tragedy.
JEANNE D’ARC: A Tragedy.
SAPPHO AND PHAON: A Tragedy.
THE SCARECROW: A Tragedy of the Ludicrous.
LINCOLN CENTENARY ODE.
MATER: An American Study in Comedy.
THE PLAYHOUSE AND THE PLAY. Essays.
A GARLAND TO SYLVIA: A Comedy.
ANTI-MATRIMONY: A Satirical Comedy.
YANKEE FANTASIES. Five One-Act Plays.
TO-MORROW. A Play in Three Acts.
POEMS.
URIEL, AND OTHER POEMS.
THE CIVIC THEATRE.
SANCTUARY: A Bird Masque.
A THOUSAND YEARS AGO.
_Original Cast of the Play as first produced in Boston, at the Shubert
Theatre, December 1, 1913_
WILLIAM A. BRADY (LTD.)
PRESENTS
A THOUSAND YEARS AGO
_A Romance of the Orient_
BY
PERCY MACKAYE
“_Here in China, the world lies a-dream, like a thousand
Years ago, and the place of our dreams is eternal._”
(The play is an original comedy, suggested by the Persian romance in
“The Thousand and One Tales,” wherein is recited the adventures of
Calaf, Prince of Astrakhan, and the beautiful Princess of China.)
CAST OF CHARACTERS
ASIATIC
TURANDOT, Princess of Pekin Rita Jolivet
ALTOUM, her father, Emperor Frederick Warde
ZELIMA, her slave Fania Marinoff
CALAF, Prince of Astrakhan Jerome Patrick
BARAK, his servitor Frank McCormack
CHANG, Eunuch Edmund Roth
EUROPEAN
SCARAMOUCHE } { Sheldon Lewis
PUNCHINELLO } Vagabond Players from Italy { Bennett Kilpack
PANTALOON } { Allen Thomas
HARLEQUIN } { Joseph Smith
CAPOCOMICO, their leader H. Cooper Cliffe
LORDS OF THE ROYAL DIVAN
Hugh Nixon, John P. Savage, Anthony Romack, Reginald Simpson
BEGGARS
William H. Dupont and W. Bradley Ward
SOLDIERS OF PEKIN
David Earle, Charles Muche, Thomas Edwards, Joseph Reed, Howard Jackson,
Carl Textoris, Joseph Weston, James Bannister
TEA BEARERS
Franklin Montgomery and John Leons
COURT ATTENDANTS
Philip Sheridan and Robert W. Gest
FEMALE ATTENDANTS
Marie Benton, Daisy Miller, Ruth Pierson, Constance Howard, Elsie Oates
and Sybil Maitland
SCENES
ACT I
City Gate at Pekin
ACT II
Scene 1: Room in the Imperial Harem
Scene 2: Great Hall of the Emperor
ACT III
Scene 1: Turandot’s Dream
(1) The Mountains
(2) A Street