In this column, O'Brien proposes a Dramatic Author's Society and discusses why it is necessary. O'Brien discusses how a Dramatic Author's Society would ensure proper and fair compensation for playwrights, allowing for many to turn writing into a career and improving the quality of American theater while also making sure that writers are not cheated. O'Brien also argues that such a society is necessary for the enforcement of copyrights.
O'Brien mentions that a Philadelphia manager hired a stenographer to take down the lines of a play of his at Wallack's and then produced the drama at his own theater (2).
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Wallack’s Lyceum was located in Broadway near Broome Street. Its productions included original works by Pfaffians John Brougham, Stephen Ryder Fiske, and Fitz-James O’Brien.
