Two years ago, after my visit to Chicago, where I was playing the role of one of the personages in "The Miracle", I decided to found a combined school and studio after the pattern of the studio of the Moscow Art Theater. The skeptics used to say that I was committing a great mistake, because America--so they said--had little use for such enterprises. Such attempts had been made, but usually did not lead to anything. But I did not believe that the skeptics were right, though I knew that, judging by former attempts made by Americans, I would meet with many great difficulties in trying to realize my idea. I shall explain now my idea of this new type of theater.

I thought at that time that it meant very much that the Americans had been so enthusiastic about the Moscow Art Theater. The kind of theatrical art which lies at the foundation of the Moscow Art Theater, or rather its type of creative activity and the method of its work,was--and especially is now--the fashion in America, as some people say now, after having attended some of the theatrical performances staged by the artists of the Moscow Art Theater.

No, there is something new, exceptional in this enthusiasm. For the first time there was heard in America the voice of the theater speaking from the stage in the international language of true, deeply spiritual art. This language can be understood by every nationality, and it reveals the very depths of human life. Americans manifest interest in such creative activities and in their methods not only in the realm of the theater, but also in a general way. I know some Americans who are reading Tolstoy. Dostoyevsky, Gorky, and others in Russian and are learning the Russian language with truly American persistance in order to commune with the culture of Great Russia. Who has not heard and seen Shalyapin, who has not admired Pavlova, who does not know Bakst, Roerich and other great Russian painters? What about the sculptor Konenkov, who has come only recently to America and has already become very popular? And is this not symptomatic: on the walls of one of the cultural institutions of Chicago the first place is occupied by the paintings of some of our great Russian masters--of Remizov and Anisfeld.

I am telling all this in order to show to the readers how from day to day the Russian culture of the human spirit is penetrating deeper and deeper into the very heart of America. I must, however, make here the following remark: if I have mentioned just now only the names of Russian celebrities, I did it only because, as a Russian, I am watching chiefly the achievements of my countrymen who have been my teachers, on whose chefs d' oeuvre I have been educating myself and from whom I am learning many things even now. But among Americans also there are great artists and writers. Take, for example, O'Neil. There you have before you a writer of gigantic talent. You have only to read his last literary production. "Strange Interlude." And what about C. Chaplin... I consider him as the greatest American artist. I regret that I have confined myself to the sphere of the theater, and especially of my Chicago Art Theater, and have but little opportunity to observe what is going on in the other realms of art. But I feel how the life of America is reaching greater and greater depths with every day. And this is natural; this should be so. Such is the historical process of the development of this young country.

On the other hand we are living in an exceptionally interesting time. Only think about it! Space has almost been killed by man: in 30 or 40 hours one can already be in Paris! The riddles of the North Pole are being solved more and more every day. Once can speak to people who are thousands of miles away, and see their faces and all their doings in all particulars. Man is conquering the ocean, his most terrible foe. The bottom of the sea is no more a mystery. Men are already thinking of flying to the moon. And, I believe that it will be done.

With every day, with every hour the human spirit soars higher and higher, sees deeper and deeper. And I cannot but believe that the idea of a deeper understanding of life and its demands is our first and most important task. To show the way to the accomplishment of this task, to answer many of the problems of life--is in the competency of art and in particular of the theater.

And we Russians, envoys from another hemisphere, deriving our strength from such men as Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, must tell about the culture of the spirit and explain how ridiculous and unpalatable to the modern spiritually minded man appear most of the theaters, these resorts of amusement and of idleness, and how necessary are theaters which would further the spiritual culture of the spirit and explain how ridiculous and unpalatable to the modern spiritually minded man appear most of the theaters, these resorts of amusements and of idleness, and how necessary are theaters which would further the spiritual culture of mankind; theaters that would be centers of really useful work for humanity. The theater should be a friend, a helper, a teacher. The Moscow Art Theater is all that. Its school aims at representing real life in a theatrical form-taking the term "life" in its highest sense. Its method is a studious searching of the very depths of the human soul, a soaring of the human spirit. I once asked Gorky: "What is the theater?" His answer was: "It is work, work, work, joyful work; one of the activities of building true human life." Shalyapin is a genius. Ask him how and for how many years he has been polishing his talent. The answer would be: for a long time, and it was hard work. Shalyapian's life is right there, before our eyes.

Well, I decided to found here a school-theater of this kind. And this was no mistake on my part. Even now, after only two years, this theater-studio has become one of the most popular institutions. This year's summer courses have surpassed all expectations. For the first time in my life I met such enthusiasm as was manifested by the young teachers who had come to my summer course from all parts of America. They were all enthusiastic about the method of work used in my theater. During the period of nineteen lessons which were attended by thirty pupils there were staged light short theatrical pieces. And at the examination (to which the public was admitted) the school beat all records. After such an experiment I feel that I can boldly affirm that in six weeks (as is usual in America) any theatrical performance can be perfectly well staged according to the method used in the Moscow Art Theater. And the results will be quite different from those obtained by the local professional theaters where the manager may not know what the purpose of the play is, nor do the actors know what it is all about. The Chicago Art Theater Studio has been receiving a series of requests from Dramatic Sections of clubs to send pupils of the Theater-Studio in order to help them in stating some exemplary theatrical performances.

After a tour around the cities of the states of Colorado and Missouri, undertaken by the Chicago Art Theater, There has been received by this theater a series of requests to arrange such tours also in other states and to visit some other cities. And now just one more very significant case. One of the most cultured residents of Chicago, deeply interested in art and an active worker in that field, decided to establish an intimate connection between his institution and the Chicago Art Theater by arranging in this theater a series of demonstrative theatrical performances for the members of his institution. The Chicago Art Theater has been gaining strength and demonstrating great success in respect of artistic achievements during the last two years. And now for the first time we get a chance to organize during this season a school connected with this theater--a school that would consist of several sections, such as: placing of the voice; correct enunciation; the art of speaking on the stage (possessed by very few actors!) the attainment of the plasticity of movements; fencing; make up; the art of wearing one's costume the proper way--all these are subsidiary subjects to the teaching of "life on the stage." Besides, certain branches of general education are also taught; i. e. there are lectures on art in general, and on the theatrical art in particular; on the history of drama and the theater. We have invited a teacher who is going to lecture on "how to write plays."

The whole course is planned for two years, with three terms every year. Those who have completed the whole course get a diploma. Our theater-studio trains professional artists for the stage in general but especially for the Chicago Art Theater. This season, as before, the Theater is located at: 410 S. Michigan Ave. Fine Art's Bldg. Phone Wab. 5773.

I write all this, on my friends' request, specially for the Russian colony, knowing that many Russians are seriously interested in the dramatic art, and until the present time such persons did not know to whom to apply. Now I am giving them such an opportunity. I must state beforehand, however, that all thesubjects are taught in the English language.