Forest Theater Society, Western Drama Society & Carmel Arts & Crafts Club
The Forest Theater Society produced several plays in the next few years. Of note was the 1912 production of The Toad, a play written by Bertha Newberry, the wife of Perry Newberry, an early Carmel leader. Also produced that year was the first children's play staged at the Forest Theater, Alice in Wonderland, adapted by Newberry and Arthur Vachell. There was so much enthusiasm for live theater, and varying ideas on how the Forest Theater should be run, that two additional theater groups began participating – The Western Drama Society (including Heron and other members of the Forest Theater Society), whose goal was to focus on California authors, and the already-established Arts and Crafts Club, which had been active in the town since 1905.
In 1913, theatergoers witnessed the premiere of Mary Austin’s Fire, which she also directed, and in 1915 – a season that boasted 11 separate productions – audiences saw the premiere of Newberry’s Junipero Serra, a historical pageant focusing on the life of Father Junipero Serra. The ensuing decade saw the Forest Theater reach the height of production, with 50 plays and musicals staged between 1915 and 1924, including a 1922 production of Shaw’s Caesar and Cleopatra, when director Edward Kuster was almost run out of town for erecting a giant backdrop that hid Carmel’s beloved canopy of trees. Kuster defended himself admirably, noting that the play was, after all, set in a desert!
Unfortunately, this overabundance of plays became a serious strain on resources, such as players, donations and attendees, which were, understandably, spread thin. Inevitably, factional strife erupted between the groups and the quality of theater in Carmel began to decline. In 1924, in order to solve this dilemma and rebuild a healthy theater scene, the competing producing organizations disbanded, and under the auspices of the Arts and Crafts Club, the Forest Theater Corporation was created as a unifying entity to produce and manage the plays staged at the Forest Theater.
Once again, the picturesque outdoor theater became extremely popular in the small village and everyone, it seemed, added to the creative process. The town’s many carpenters and woodworkers built highly intricate sets; those handy with a thread and needle created costumes. And just about everyone found their way on stage. Productions at the Forest Theater were truly a village affair. The resulting success enabled the Forest Theater Corporation to buy the land from the Carmel Development Company in 1925. The Forest Theater Corporation continued to produce plays throughout the 1920s and early 1930s. While the state of theater in Carmel was in a precarious position due to a glut of indoor theaters and theatrical companies, the Forest Theater continued to flourish. In 1934, the Forest Theater saw its 100th major production, The Man Who Married a Dumb Wife, by Anatole France. Heron directed the comedy, which featured set and costumes designs by Helena Heron.
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