''Inchling'' is a three-act children's fantasy play by American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

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playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

Ira Mallory Remsen Ira Mallory Remsen (May 11, 1876 – November 29, 1928), known locally as Rem Remsen, was an American painter, playwright and Bohemian Club member. He was the son of Dr. Ira Remsen chemist and former president of Johns Hopkins University. Rems ...

. It was performed in the summer of 1922, at the

Forest Theater The Forest Theater is an historic amphitheater in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Founded in 1910, it is one of the oldest outdoor theaters west of the Rockies. Actor/director Herbert Heron is generally cited as the founder and driving force, an ...

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), often simply called Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its natural scenery and ric ...

. It was the most popular children's play ever performed at the Forest Theater. It played again in 1928 and 1936 at the same venue. The 1936 revival of ''Inchling'' helped overcome an accumulated debt that had taken its toll on the Forest Theater during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. The play has been produced by schools and children's theater groups throughout the county, including New York and London.

Summary

On December 27, 1919, Ira Remsen wrote a three-act children's fantasy play called ''Inchling,'' that tells a story of Inchling and his struggle for wings. The typewritten script was 66 pages long. The Forest Theater Society's board chose it for their thirteenth season summer play. It was played for the first time on the outdoor stage of the Forest Theater, in

, for two nights, from August 19 through 20, 1922, and captured the fantasies of young children. It was directed by Blanche Tolmie. The cast included almost every child living in Carmel playing a "creature of the forest." Walter Flanders played the character ''Inchling.'' Rhoda Johnson did the costumes of the children. Richard Johnson did the scenery. Priscilla Gadsen danced the Butterfly dance and trained the children on the dances for the Fire Flies and Dew Drops.

Edward G. Kuster Edward Gerhard Kuster (August 15, 1878 – September 1961) was a musician and attorney from Los Angeles for twenty-one years before coming to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California in 1921. He became involved in theater and establish his own theatre and s ...

(Cello) and Jeanne Burton (piano) played music for the dance members. Thomas Vincent Cator wrote the incidental music. Jack Williamson and Lewis Josselyn were the electric light artists, and Hilda Wallace Argo handled the publicity. Talbert and Winsor Josselyn, and others were engaged in the production. Citizens were asked to lend a hand, to bring oak leaves and maple branches of to the Forest Theater. Remsen, who often wore jeans and a broad brimmed hat, camped on the Forest Theater grounds during the tryouts and rehearsals. He rewrote the script to fit with the forest theater, designed the ''Inchling'' sets, the costumes, and the lights. He loved working with the children and they loved him. Carmel's master builder M. J. Murphy's daughters Kathleen and Rosalie had parts in the play along with many other Carmel children.

Plot

''Inchling'' is a story about Mr. Inchworm, the owner of a factory that makes green leaves for the return of Spring. Inchling, the son of Mr. Inchworm, fails at the task of making enough leaves because he is preoccupied with his ambition to fly. Subplots include a shortage of green to fill the orders for new leaves; the fears that Fire Fly might start a fire; the Robin can't sing to bring in Spring because of laryngitis; and the terrible and villainous Mosquito. At the end of the play, Inchling emerges from a cocoon and is transformed into a Butterfly. The scene is set with moonlight in the forest, with a large cocoon hung above the stage. The set remained throughout the play. There were three acts: * Act I. ** Evening - Mr. Inchworm's Factory for leaves * Act II. ** Night - The Encampment of the Terrible Mosquito * Act III. ** Morning - Played on Top of a Daisy

Characters

(In order of their appearance) Act I * Gyem - Billy Argo * Wood God - George Dorwart * Scrub Oaks - Vera Basham and others * Buckthorns - Mary Douglas and others * Pine Seeds - Frances Brewer and others * Head Cutter Ant - Scott Douglas * 2nd Cutter Ant - Ross Burton * Foreman Ant - Robert Curtis * Expressman - Wesley Callier * Wee Ant - Mark Daniels * March of the Dead Leaves - Christine and Virginia Burton and others * Spring and Her New Leaves (Mud) - Virginia Burton and others * Mr. Inchworm - John Navas * Mrs. Inchworm - Anne Greene * Lady Bug - Christine Burton * Water Bugs - John Campbell, Billy Botke, Bobo Norton, Billy Neuman * Butterfly with Golden Wings - Annette Gundelfinger * The Terrible Mosquito - Owen White * Four Little Mosquitos - John Campbell, Bruce Waybur, Billy Botke, Florence Brown * Fire Fly - Hart Rogers * Inchling - Walter Flanders * First Robin - Walter Gundelfinger Act II * Sentry Mosquito - Billy Brown * 1st Soldier Mosquito - David Ayer * 2nd Soldier Mosquito - Clayton Leitch * Sticky Monkey - Louise Gundelfinger * Bats - Hildreth Taylor and others Act III * Spider - Wesley Callier * Dew Drops - Patty Johnson and others * Mr. Snail - Edwin Tyler

Reviews

The performance of ''Inchling'' had the following reviews. Theatre critic and author

Walter Prichard Eaton Walter Prichard Eaton (August 24, 1878 – 1957) was an American theatre critic and author. He was born in Massachusetts, graduated from Harvard, and was a drama critic for various newspapers and magazines. He also wrote numerous books on the ...

called it "the most charming children's play ever written."

Adaptations

On August 3, 1928, Remsen's play ''Inchling'' was presented at the Forest Theater for the second performance, this time under the direction of Garnet Holm. Pete Steffens played Wee Ant, Harry Leon Wilson Jr,

Charis Wilson Helen Charis Wilson (; May 5, 1914 – November 20, 2009), was an American model and writer, most widely known as a subject of Edward Weston's photographs. Early life Charis Wilson was born in San Francisco, California, the daughter of Harry Leo ...

, Jane Hopper played Butterfly, and Joe Schoeninger was Inchling. The play was rejected by New York producers after Remsen submitted the play for a theatrical release. The rejection threw him into a depression. He talked about Carmel poet and playwright

George Sterling George Sterling (December 1, 1869 – November 17, 1926) was an American writer based in the San Francisco, California Bay Area and Carmel-by-the-Sea. He was considered a prominent poet and playwright and proponent of Bohemianism during the f ...

's death as a "glorious finish," who committed suicide in 1926. Remsen did the same on November 29, 1928, at his studio in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Remsen's musical fantasy play ''Inchling'' was published after Remsen's death, by C. C. Birchard Co., of

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Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

in 1931, with lyrics were by Irene Alexander and a musical score by composer Thomas Vincent Cator. The play has been produced by schools and children's theater groups throughout the county, including New York and London. In June 1934,

Byington Ford Lewis Byington Ford (November 1, 1890 – January 19, 1985) was a Monterey Peninsula real estate developer. He was a major force in developing Pebble Beach and Carmel Woods. Ford established the Carmel Valley Airport, the first airpark of its kin ...

directed ''Inchling'' at the Douglas School (now the

Stevenson School Stevenson School (also known as Robert Louis Stevenson School and abbreviated as RLS) is a coeducational, private school for boarding and day students in preschool through twelfth grade. Its high school and Pre-K through eighth-grade campuses are ...

) in

Pebble Beach, California Pebble Beach is an unincorporated community on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey County, California. The small coastal residential community of mostly single-family homes is also notable as a resort destination, and the home of the golf course ...

. Katherine Elkins played First Robin, Audrey Ford and Betty Hunter played Mud, and Mary Morse took the part of Lady Bug. In September 1936, ''Inchling'' was presented again under the direction of Byington Ford from September 3rd and 4th at the Forest Theater by the Carmel Community Players. Ruth Austin was the dance director and Mingdon Sheets did a solo number. The revival of ''Inchling,'' and accompanied village fair at the theater grounds, brought in a profit of $1,000 (), which reduced an accumulated debt that had taken its toll on the Forest Theater during the

years of the 1930s. In November 1950, the

Harrison Memorial Library The Harrison Memorial Library is a historic building designed by architect Bernard Maybeck and built by Michael J. Murphy in 1928. It houses a public library for the city of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The library provides books, materials a ...

held an exhibit honoring Remsen with a display of his published works including ''Inchling,'' ''Mr. Bunt,'' and ''The Tinsel Angel,'' programs of performances given at the Forest Theater, and the three-sided stage set to produce ''Mr. Bunt.'' Several items on display were contributed by the director Blanche Tolmie. ''Inchling'' was presented again at the Forest Theater from August 10 to 11, 1962, directed by Nancy Lofton. It was sponsored by the Summer Recreation Program of the Carmel Unified School District under the direction of Lofton.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Inchling (1922 play)
Herbert Heron Collection

Interview with Helen Wilson and Rosalee Gladney

Inchling Manuscript
1922 plays Plays set in the 1920s Plays set in California