''Mr. Bunt'' 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 ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

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 1924, 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 ...

. Novelist, and playwright John Northern Hilliard played the role of Danny, a circus clown. It was the first time a play was presented at the Forest Theater with its own music composed for it and directed by the composer Frederick Preston Search with his own orchestra.

Summary

On his return from Pasadena to Carmel in 1924, Remsen produced the three-act fantasy play entitled ''Mr. Bunt,'' about a imaginary playmate, which was produced at the

from July 3rd through 5th. It won the $100 () award for the best original play submitted in the annual play contest held by the Forest Theater Society. The play was adapted for the outdoor

amphitheater An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

in Carmel-by-the-Sea. The play was similar to novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie's '' Peter Pan.'' ''Mr. Bunt'' was planned and written in Remsen’s studio on Dolores Street in downtown Carmel. The manuscript for the play was entitled ''Mr. Bunt, Concerning The Invisible Playmates Of Our Childhood,'' and was dedicated to his wife Helen "Yodee" Remsen. The Ira Resmen executive committee was established to cover all aspects of the production for the play. This included publicity, casting, music, costumes, makeup, construction, lighting (by local photographer Lewis Josselyn), and stage hands. The play was produced under the direction of Remsen and Blanche Tolmie. The setting was an open space in the forest with trees and flowers centered about a maple tree and a hill of yellow buttercups. The changes of scene were affected by a carved Swiss wooden toy with three sides, each side representing a scene. The Greeks called this a

periaktos A periaktos (plural form periaktoi, from a Greek language, Greek word meaning ''revolving'') is a device used for displaying and rapidly changing theatre scene (drama), scenes. It was first mentioned in Plato's ''Republic'', in the story, "Allegor ...

. It was on rollers and easily turned. Side one was a cottage in the woods; side two, the twisted roots of a maple tree and the head of an owl; and side three was the canvas of the circus tent. The first act opened with the cottage in the woods, which stood on the right of the stage. Gyem, was the woodsprite, Mr. Bunt, had the title role, with children as fairies. The second act opened with trumpets, circus riders, and other animals. There was a circus band, bareback riders, clowns, freaks, and sideshow artists.

Characters

''In The Cottage In The Wood:'' * Rose - Helen Judson * Dabs - Dale Leidig * Annie - Valentine M. Porter ''In The Circus:'' * Jim -

Charles King Van Riper Charles King Van Riper (September 8, 1891 – April 16, 1964) was an American newspaperman, writer, and playwright, best known for writing short stories for nationally circulated magazines, and as the founder of the Abalone League, the first org ...

* Lu - Phyllis Blake * Danny - John Northern Hilliard ''In The Maple Tree:'' * Owl - Winsor Josselyn * Gyem - Caryl Jones * The Sandman - Calvin H. Luther * Gateman - Paul Flanders * Buttons - Denman Whitney * First Fairy - Barbara Lewis * Second Fairy - Barrian Cator ''In Trouble:'' * Mrs. Geshisish - Christine Burton * Mr. Bunt - Scott Douglas * Faries, Circus troupe

Reviews

The performance of ''Mr. Bunt'' had mixed reviews. An afterword to the manuscript was written by theater producer

Maurice Browne Maurice Browne (12 February 1881 – 21 January 1955), born in Reading, England, was best known as a theater producer in the United States and the UK. The Cambridge-educated Browne was also a poet, actor, and theater director. He has been cred ...

Adaptations

Remsen's play ''Mr. Bunt'' was presented again at the Forest Theater from Friday July 11 through Sunday 13, 1952. It was produced by the Forest Theater Guild and directed by Blanche Tolmie.

References

External links

{{wikisource, Mr. Bunt
Herbert Heron Collection

Full text of ''Mr. Bunt''
on

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