''Are You a Mason?'' is a

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...

in three acts by

Leo Ditrichstein Leo Ditrichstein (January 6, 1865 – June 28, 1928) was an Austrian-American actor and playwright. Early life He was born on January 6, 1865, in Temesvár, Austrian Empire. He was educated in Vienna and was naturalized as an American citizen ...

, who in turn adapted it from a German play, ''Die Logenbrüder'' (''The Freemason''), by Curt Kraatz and

Carl Laufs Carl Laufs (1858-1900) was a German playwright who concentrated largely on creating farces, notably the 1890 work '' Pension Schöller'' which he co-authored with Wilhelm Jacoby Wilhelm Jacoby (1855-1925) was a German playwright, who concentrated ...

. The play was performed at the

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. It opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, with a capacity of 2,500. The current capacity is 1,416. The title "Shaftesbury Theat ...

in 1901. The play has been adapted for screen: * ''Are You a Mason?'' (1915 film), an American silent comedy * ''Are You a Mason?'' (1934 film), a British comedy

Agnes Mapes Agnes Mapes was an American actress who appeared in vaudeville performances and silent films throughout the 1900s and 1910s. Originally a part of the Crescent Theatre Stock Company, she was highly praised for her role in the 1907 production of '' ...

and Dora Booth appeared in the first production. A 1922 adaptation was planned for

Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle (; March 24, 1887 – June 29, 1933) was an American silent film actor, director, and screenwriter. He started at the Selig Polyscope Company and eventually moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked with Mabel ...

but was dropped due to the

Virginia Rappe Zelliene Virginia Rappe (; July 7, 1891 – September 9, 1921) was an American model and silent film actress. Working mostly in bit parts, Rappe died after attending a party with actor Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, who was accused of manslaughter and ...

murder scandal.

References

1901 plays Plays adapted into films {{1900s-play-stub