r-IJJ Af'ipkl JWl
-PHE SUNDAY OREGONIAT, PORTLAND, JUNE 24, 1900.
17
t2Hv THE DRMVIA JX3
lj m S & 4
Disappointment.
A brown-ejed. falr-halred raalden
Among: the chorus stood;
Her little legs were apple green;
She wore a little hood.
Insouciance and modesty
And comme 11 faut and wit
Revealed themselves In very pose.
A chappie In the pit "
Assured himself her blood was blue
As any Queen's that reigns;
He'd wager, too, that's what he'd do.
She'd ten times better teins. .
He -waited to be Introduced;
They sauntered up the street.
The -nordlets from her ruby lips
Were well, they were a treat;
For "wasn't your' and "usea't It?"
And "nit" and "call the turn,"
And all them other little gems.
And many a "dough to burn,"
Pell hard upon his tingling ear.
Across a wad of gum.
He thought, the pity of It all,
. "Why Isn't beauty dumb?
"When next he sees the dainty maid.
"With legs of apple green.
He'll know that she Is scenery
Meant only to be seen.
And he who looks and runs away.
May live to look another day.
San Francisco Dramatic Review.
MAX1NE ELLIOTT'S DRESS
Our Audiences May Be Cold, bnt That
la Xo Eichhc for Slovenly
Stage Costuming.
One often hears a growl about the con
duct of Portland audiences at the play.
The "late-arrival" nuisance Is a nuisance,
indeed; but as to a want of enthusiasm I
cannot join in that complaint, as a rule.
I think that the Jobm Drew Company
and the Goodwin-Elliott Company received
their full meed of applause. Especially is
the statement true of the reception ac
corded the last-mentioned; orgonlzataoni on
the occasion of its recent Marquam en
gagement. On bouh nights the audience
was most beautifully arrayed, in honor of
a fine company of artists, and of an
actress who is said to be tihe most beau
tiful leading: woman on the American
stage. This waa only befitting the occa-1
sion.
But when Maxine Elliott appeared, look
ing shall I say slovenly? well, slovenly!
it was a shock to all observers. One of
her costumes was positively in" need of a
thorough "dry-cleaning." The other was
decidedly stringy as to skirt, and com
monplace as to bodice and pity 'tis!
Is the lady out for a Summer holiday,
and incidentally with Intent to wear out
her old clothes?
There is this much to bo said: When a
company of actors such as those of the
Goodwin Company, and which commands
a large, cultured and splendidly drcssed
audience, at a high cost per seat, visits
Portland, It is naturally expected that its
members will appear before that audience
in clothes as beautiful and as cCean as the
parts presented will admit of. B.
FARCE-COMEDY AT CORDRAY'S.
"A Spring Chicken" All the Week t
That Theater.
The claim is put forth that "A Spring
Chicken," which will be produced at Cor
droy's tonight, and will run all the week.
Including Saturday matinee, at that thea
ter, is one of the liveliest and brightest
of tihe many farce-comedies wthldh have
been seen on the road this season. It is
said to be a laugh maker of the purest
type, and to be in capable "hands, a leading
.member of the company being Rose Suth
erland, who will perhaps be remembered
for her work with Hoyt's "Trip to China
town" Company. Other members of the
organization are: Bert Flatt. Mabel Cas
sldy. Horrj' Armstrong and Gustave Kline.
Numerous specialties will be presented,
and otherwise the production Is said to be
altogether satisfactory.
MaaaKer Jones' Next Attraction.
Manager Jonca has booked a very good
attraction for the Metropolitan Theater
for Friday. July 6, at which time Marie
Mildred Marsh, pianist, and Retaa John
ston Shank, contralto, will appear in &
repertoire of classical music
Mdss Marsh Is a graduate of the Cincin
nati. Conservatory of Music, and has spent
five years abroad. She is said to have
perfected herself thoroughly in the tech
nical requirements of her profession. Mrs.
Shank has traveled through the East with
Xavld Blspham, the grand-opera, baritone,
wfho was here this season with "Walter
Xamrosch.
End of Season Near.
The theatrical season Is drawing to a
close. The sole attraction of last week
locally was the Nashville Students at
Cordrays Theater, and there Is not "much
to come at either of the Portland houses
-in the immediate future. The approach of
warm weather and preparations for going
to the eeashore and mountains disincline
people for theatrical entertainment, and
nothing but a Summer-garden arrange
ment will bring them out in any numbers,
unless it be a dramatic or operatic at
traction of the first magnitude.
PI HATING NOVELS.
Some Recent Dramatization and
One Vnlcrnr Tiny.
ASTORIA. June I9l-To the Editor.)
"Wfhene er a ploy turns out a tuccess. and
particularly if it be a dramatization from
some novel, and the author has been r.eg
cctful In securing proper copyright,
every stock or reperto:re- company in the
land good, bad or indifferent Immediate-,
ly pounces -upon it and proceeds to present
it,( from one end of the country to the,
other. tKl as a money-moksr-it 5s sim
ply "squeezed" dry. Somdhow these fly-
by-night companies remind me of a certain
fifth Uhat is found in the waters of the Co
lumbia, and which la known as the
"sucker." Drop a bit of food in the
water, and countless numbeis of these "fish
swarm about it till every atom is de
voured, and then, still greedy as ever, they
retire uotil the next good taring comes
alcng.
A few seososs ago "Cyrano de Bergerac"
wan the rage, and no doubt he was "mur
dered" in more than one one-night stand.
Horn recently "Quo Vadis?" has had a
bold on tihe public, but the one that at
prercctt seems to be most prominent in
the public eye is the adaptation from the
French of Daudet's "realistic" novel,
"Sapho." Have you ever rend the story?
Well, the man wOio had the nerve to adapt
It to the stage is brazen enough for any
undertaking.
From all we can gather, the chief rea-
ON THE
r Jw By--'. . ''"''' " .j (
"They say your heart Is as hard as glasV
"Try a diamond on it."
son why the pece ia considered a success
from a theatrical standpoint Is because
of the boldness of Its plot and the vulgar
ity of the subject. These are strong words,
but I stand by them. A play that has vice
for a foundation might be a money-maker
for a time, but It cannot under any cir
cumstances be a moral educaltor or a
power for good.
The arrest of Olga Nethereole while pre
senting "Sapho" In Now York Is, of
course, one of the causes that draws a
morbid crowd to see the play. "The mere
anrouncement that 'Sapho would be pre
sented sufficed to croate a run. on the box
office and to pack tbe theater. The play
ers are entltCed to something more than
praise for careful treatment of a delicate
subject." This Is a critic's "write-up" on
a recent performance of the piece In San
Francisco.
Whoa a beastly taste some people have
for the vulgar! Notice that the critic
ubos the term "delicate subject," A dirty
subject, rather, and one which no 'self -respecting
playwright would or need put
Into a play, and that no manager who has
t&ie best Interests of the theater at heart
would put upon the boards.
It Is never necessary to stoop to the
bad. There are countless good pllays that
can be produced, and I think it is the
general opinion among those who have
made a study of the theater that good,
clean plays will draw as" well, and bet
ter, than those whose qualities are of a
questionable nature.
"Wo realize that the theatrical manager
is hi the business for the money that he
can make, and that he presents p'ays
with that end in vVw. Let him consider
such ptoys as "Rosemary," "The Little
Minister." "Sherlock Holmes." "Sag Har
bor," "Barbara Frletchle." "The Chris
tian," "Ben Hur" all clean and worthy
any man's attention and then see if his
bank account will not ba Just as big at
tbo end of the season. Better still, he
will have the satlsfacMon of knowing that
his producalon Is wcrthy of his labor and
the patronage of the public
S. TERRY M'KEAN. JR.
GLEANINGS FROJI THE WINGS.
Matters of Interest to Plnysroers and
Actor 1'olU.
The James Nell Company sailed for
Honolulu "Wednesday, June 13, to fill a
four weeks engagement at the Hawaiian
Opera-House, Honolulu.
The Barnum-Bailey circus exploited it
self in Hamburg, Germany, by paying
the street railway companies W0 to stop
all their cars during the five hours of a
parade. Germany never had a big tent
show, and this one amazed the peoplo
with Its size and methods.
Pretty and shapely chorus girls who
can sing and dance are in great demand
in New York, and competition among
managers to secure them is sharp. Ben
Teal will use 100 in "Foxy Quiller," SO In
'The Rogers Brothers In Central Park.
and CO with Agoust family. He began
making his engagements eight months
ago.
Ben Teal will stage the new vaudeville
farce being written by John J. McNally
for Frank McKcc, as a vehicle for the
exploitation of the Agoust family.
Mary Mannering will make "her initial
appearance as a star In "Janice Mere
dith," In Buffalo, early In October.
Peter F. Dailey will inaugurate his re
turn to stardom in Boston In September,"
Jn Frank McKee's production of "Dlnkel
' spiel," Hobarfs adaptation of the Ger-
man musical farce, "In Hlmmelhof."
"William Farnum. the young actor who
I will play "Ben-Hur" next season. Is a
splendidly developed athlete. He is 26
) years old, stands 5 feet 11 Inches and
j weighs ISO pounds. His chest measure Is
42 incnes, ana nis biceps I5i Inches. An
actor who can look Ben-Hur, as well as
act the part, is a valuable acquisition to
this play. ,
NETHERSOLE'S BIG EARNINGS.
j At the Ape of ::0, "Snpho" Is Vorth.
I the Sum of fSOO.OOO.
! Speaking of Olga Nethersole, whose sea
son has Just closed In a blaze of financial
J success, Henry Bell, of the New York
j Press, has this to say:
I "Yet she has alwuyz, made a good in-
BEACH.
come on the stage. Her debut was effect
ed under powerful auspices, and even at
the start 'of her dramatic career she re
ceived a handsome salary and attracted
general attention. Augusiin Daly gave
Miss Nethersole $500 a week for her first
year in America, and the Frohmans grant
ed a similar salary to her In the1 follow
ing season. Since she reached the age of
25. Olga's income has averaged 517,000 a
year.
"The season that has ended was much
more prosperous, for this talk about the
wickedness of 'Sapho has aided Its earn
ings remarkably. In ail her theatrical
ventures. Miss Nethersole made ends m;et,
and at the age of ZT the drama has paid
to her the neat sum of $200,003. In these
agreeable circumstances, the young ac
tress feels justified in taking life com
fortably during vocation.
"Her London home, to which she will
return next week, is in Norfolk street.
Park Lane, which is the heart of swell
dom. Miss Nethercole is grieved to real
ize that instead of owning her own house
she holds it on lease, four years more of
which term have yet to run. At the ex
piration of that time she will probably be
come an American cltlzencss, for In spite
of bilious journalism, Magistrate Mott, our
District Attorney and Grand Jury, Olga
thinks well of us, and may cast her lot
with Yankee Doodle.
"She has gained 10 pounds In flesh since
'Sapho's' troubles ended, end Is now as
fit as a fiddle and twice as handsome.
Next season she will begin her tour In San
Francisco."
ABOUT "JANICE 3IEREDITII.'
Stronpr Company- Belnpr Engaged for
Its Dramntlc Production.
Edward E. Rose is at work on the dra
matic verscon of "Janice Meredith" at
Marshfield Hills, a small town in Massa
chusetts. "When he began nls task, the
question as to who would play Janice had
net been diecided, although he (Rose) had
always desired Mary Mannering for the
part
Early one morning Rose went Into the
village to make a purchase. A tejegraph
messenger handed hdm a dispatch from
Frank McKee, announcing the engage
ment of Mess Mannering as Janice. Mr.
Rose, In his enthusiasm over this news,
-took off his hat and gave three cheers in
the street. The people of Marshfield Hills
now speak of him as "that crazy man who
geta-up theater shows."
It is evidently Frank McKee's purpose
to surround Mary Mannering with a re
markably strong company in "Janice
Meredith." His first engagement that of
Robert Drouet for the leading man's pait
of Charles Fownes, the bond servant, who
is afterward on the staff of "Washington,
was am indication of this. Mr. Drouet is
ore of the most nromlsirg young leading
men on the American stage.
But McKee's most Important move was
to secure Burr Mcintosh for Philemon
Hennlen. Mr. Mcintosh Is a very clever
actor, especially In character parls. He
was the original Colonel Calhourn Bow
ker in "John Needham's Doubie," the or
iginal Taffy In "Trilby," the original Jack
Rose in "Phvey Ridge," the original Dan
iel Boone Blngley In "The Governor of
Kentucky' the original Joe, the cowboy.
In "The Cowboy and the Lady." the orig
inal Joe Veinon. the blacksmith. In ''In
Mizzouri," and the original Colonel Mo-
berly in "Alatama." Last season he
played Pudd'nhead "Wilson In the play of
that nam?, succeeding the late Edwin
Mayo, who followed his father, Frank
Mayo, in this role.
HE TAKES THE BUNS.
Theater Party Badly Rattles Door
keeper Henry Ilclnsco.
A theater party at the Alcazar Intro
duced a new wrinkle the other night and
had Doorkeeper Henry Belasco so badly
rallied for a few minutes that some small
boys managed to slip past him before he
couM recover himself. There- were about
20 young folks in the party. They floated I
out of a string of hacks and alighted upon
Belasco with a deafening rustle of silk
skirts and dazzling display of glistening
white shirt fronts.
The first of the crowd to Teach the genial
Henry thrust a biscuit into his out
stretched hand and brushed by him into
the theater. Before the astonished ticket-
taker could recover from surprise suf
ficiently to speak, he bad a great assort
ment of biscuits and buns, enough to start
a small bakery.
"B b b but where's the tickets," he
finally managed to stammer.
"Why. inside the buns," was the laugh
ing reply of the last man, as he slipped
usto the door. And so it proved. There
was a big crowd at the gate, but they all
had to wait till the discomfited doorkeep
er had broken open all the buns and ex
tracted from them the tickets., San Fran-
oisoo Dramatic Review.
CliEMENT SCOTT'S VIEWS.
Famous English Critic Praises Oar
Dramatic Product Ions.
Clement Scott, the much dflscussed theat
rical writer. In a recent article, cLscusses
the difference between the American and
English stage, and In conclusion touches
upon the subject of' stags production in
these words: "I must give the American
stage, at least, the credit for this fact,
that I have never yet seen an actor or
actress take such a liberty 'with an audi
ence as to be imperfect when the play
is actually produced. Nervous tijey must
be that Is human nature but they are
aware of the responslbiiuy of their call
ing. "In England, on the other hand, there
are scores of actors and actresses who
are habitually imperfect In their wcrd3,
who not only 'stick' themselves, Jsut cause
others who are letter-perfect, to stick also;
who ruin the scenes in which they are
engaged and jeopardize the prospects j)f
the wretched author. 6u,ch splendid fiis -night
performances, In regard to sym
metry, order, smoothnesj and system, as
those I have seen In America, would be
almost impossible on a first night in Lon
don today. And why? Because In Amer
ica you never produce a pa' before it is
ready. Unfortunately, -no do."
McDoyvell "Weds "Wcnltliy "Widow.
William Melbourne McDowell, widower
of the late Fanny Davenport, and Mrs.
Wllhelmlna Maria Wlltson, a widow of
Baltimore, sold to be wealthy, were mar
ried, seccetly at Newport News, Va., re
cently, the fact that the ceremony had
been performed only becoming known the
next morning, when the names of the
contracting parties were found On the
marriage license records of the Clerk of
the Corporation Court.
The--bride Is said to be a handsome
blonde, and 27 years o'd, according to the
records while Mr. McDowell's age is
given as 41. Mr. and Mrs. McDowell
went to New York after the marriage.
IIlKh Prnlic for Actor Robcrtx.
No qther actor who has appeared on
this Coast for many icars. past can ex
hibit' a larger or more complimentary
budget of criticisms than Horry R. Rob
erts received from the Los Angeles press,
during-his limited engagement with the
Frawley Company, at the Los Angeles
Theater. .
It adds very much to the value of these
favorable notices to reflect that they are ,
the honest, outspoken opinions of gen-
tlemen who know what they are writing
about and express their Ideas In Intelll- ,
gent. Incisive and remarkably correct
English. Music and Drama.
Timely Thentrlcnl Gnlile.
The .passenger department of the South
ern Pacific has Issued a well-timed and
convenient Pacific Coast Theatrical '
Guide and Booking SHeet. It contains the
names of every city and town on the j
circuit, with their population; each,thea- '
ter, with namo of manager, dimensions, '
seating capacity, how heated, etc; the I
names of the leading hotels and their ,
rates; names of transfer companies; dis-
tance between towns on the circuit, be- :
sides much other valuable Information. 1
Kcllnr Next "Week.
Kellar.- the clever magician, -will be
the attraction at the Marqunm Theater
July2, 3 and 4. Since his last visit to
Portland he har. added many new tricks
to his already extensive repertoire and
his performance Is now regarded by
many us bcinjr little short of 'marvelous.
He has long been acknowledged as one
of the gi iv test living magicians.
First Artist (sir months In Paris) Yes, th Is
Etcoad 'Artist (Just arrived) Mod; dlnna let
JM ( 1 n '
People's Popular
Playhouse
The King
Pins
FLATT & SUTHERLAND t
ALL THE LATEST
MUSICAL HITS
WHAT MAKES THE ACTOR?
FRANKLIN SARGET TALKS OF
MODERN STAGE ASPIRANTS.
PrcBlucnt of New Yorl'n Academy of
, Dramatic Arti Point One
Road (o Sccceii.
There were 24 girls and 15 men in the
graduating clas3 of the American Acad
emy of the Dramatic Arts this year, and
nearly all of the graduates have already
signed contracts for next year, but, nat
urally, they are not all cut out for stars
of the first magnitude. Some of them
may fizzle out altogether and drop from
the theatrical firmament, but their diplo
mas are guarantees of a certain degree
of ability and a creditable tmlning, ana
they are to have their chance. What the
first years of practical stage experience
x ill bring out neither teachers nor man
agers can tell.
"What are fhe chief elements that con
tribute to the failure or success of your
graduates?" was asked of Franklin Sar
gent, president of the school which as
pires to be to Ihe American stage what
the Conservatoire Is to the French stage.
"That's a comprehensive question.'
Mr. Sargent replied, "but I should say
that, given fair physical and mental en
dowment, success depends very largely on
the presence or absence of that Inde
scribable something called personality,
and on a capacity or lack of capacity for
hard and ambitious work. Beauty Is a
valuable thlnS? for an actress, but It does
..got count" for a3 much as It did in the
old days. Look at the most famous ac
tresses today and see hew many of them
are beautiful. Good lopks may get a girl
a place on the legitimate stage, but It
will not keep the place for her, and It
wlir not carry her to pronounced success.
"When Mary Anderson came out she
took 10 lessons and then was put on In
'Parthenia and that sort of thing. She
created a furore, but If she were a de
butante today she couldn't repeat the ex
perience. Only a short time ago a young
woman called upon one of our New York
managers. She was stunning, with a face
and figure and personality even more
charming than Mary Anderson's. The
manager was delighted, enthusiastic,
promised her great thlng3 and told her
she must come up here and put In two
years of hard study. She wouldn't have
It. couldn't do It- Finally, rather than
lose her, he agreed to six months' of
work at high pressure. She Is working
desperately hard and doing well.
New and Old Requirements.
"There's the difference between the
new stage requirements and the old. The
public, the critics and the managers
demand a higher grade of work and
greater intelligence in the actor, and
dramatic training Is a very different
thing from what It vas even 10 yeara
ago.
"We can mark the change plainly in
the alterations" we have been obliged
to make In our methods. Sixteen years
ago our instructors, were mere mechan
ics, teaching conventional dramatic tech
nique. Now we need Instructors of high
er equipment and ability. The methods
of work are much1 deeper, standards of
Intelligent study are higher. The old Im
itative and perfunctory system Is swept
away and we have a system based on
logic and reason, founded onthe great
principles of physiology, psychology and
esthetics.
"For example, look at the study of old-
QU0I7
Is the best thins I've done.
that discourage yo I Punch -
CORDRAY'S THEATER
Week Commencing Sunday, June 24 1
THE VERY LATEST MUSICAL
FARCE COMEDY
ASP
RING
The Limit In Laughter
All Top Liners....
BURT FLATT
ROSE SUTHERLAND
HARRY LE COMPE
ED KI3IBALL
REGULAR
age characters. The student doesn't
merely imitate the old person he sees. He
Is taught 'the physiological effects of age,
the change in contour of the head apd
face, the forms of the bones that become
prominent, the lines that result, the re
lation of the bones and muscles, the ef
fect of age upon the muscles of the
upper middle, and lower face, upon the
voice, upon the mental characteristics,
upon the whole anatomy of the body, the
walk, the poise, the hand. With a phy
siological and psychological understand
ing of the results of age, the student can
work out intelligent and original Inter
pretations of such rules.
"Then there are the life study classes.
The pupils are required to select inci
dents from real life, street scenes, etc..
and to give. In the classroom, the action,
gestures, tones. motives, contrasts,
pathos, humor of perhaps half a dozen
persons concerned in the episode. Such
study develops a literary as well as a
dramatic faculty, and Its results arc
tremendously beneficial; but nothing of
the kind was ever attempted in the old
days. The theory and laws of color are
studied along lines strictly scientific
"The study of dramatic literature Is
analytical and philosophical. The phil
osophy and history of costume are thor
oughly taught. You see there Is a phil
osophical current under the whole course
of dramatic training, and the modern
teaching naturally turns out profession
als of broader capacity, higher Intelli
gence and finer Ideals.
"The effect of the new standards can
already be s.een. The managers say that
one or two actors or actresses of the
new type, who study Intelligently and
have high standards of thought and cul
ture, can leaven the whole tone of a
company. Our best professionals have
always gained through their own efforts
helr force and. breadth; but the younger
men and women now are starting in upon
the profession with what a few of their
elders learned through hard experience
and many lost years."
"Do you have many applicants?"
Ru-h of Applicant'.
"The number of young people who want
to go on the stage Is simply appalling.
I always say that this school of ours
confers a greater favor upon the public
by the number of persons It keeps otc
the stage than by the number it puts
on. We have anywhere from S0CO to 4000
applications every year, most of them
by correspondence; and out of that num
ber we may take a possible 75. There
are four times as many women as men
among them who apply, and 95 per cent
of them have no more aptitude for stage
work than they have for Sanscrit.
"We send each applicant a long list
of questions to be answered; and, by the
facts given in the answers and by the
style of the answers, wc can size up
the individuals fairly well. Most of them
we drop at once, advising them to give
up all thought of the stage. Those to
whom we give a personal examination
are carefully studied; and, unless -ne
believe they have real dramatic possi
bilities, we decline to take them, and
discourage their stage mania.
"Physical qualifications and intelligence
cut a figure, of course, but something
more than that Is needed, 'and the mo
tives that move an applicant to study
for the stage are an Important clew' to
fitness.
" 'When did youflrst think of this?' l
ask. If a girl says, "Last year, or two
years ago,' that usually settles "it; but
if she says, 'I've always thought about
it and wanted to act," I ask her when she
began to do anything toward it. If she
has any real talent, she has probably
been trying to act for her own amuse
ment, going home from the theater and
trying the scenes in her own room. etc.
It's an Interesting thing that it is almost
always at 13 that she has first started
in on experiments of that kind."
"Ought students to begin regular dra
matic study early?" asked the reporter.
"The earlier the better. Child training
would be a good thing, If the right, nat
ural methods could be pursued and no
artificiality Instilled into the child nature:
but. since that seems practically Impos
sible now. It i3 at least desirable that
students should begin work at 17 or IS.
Comparatively few of our pupils are so
young as that. The age average among
the "men is 22, and among the women 23,
but we have pupils of IS and others Vho
are from 20 to years old.' The student
of 40 Is barred from some roles, but there
Is always a demand for good old women
and old men on the stage.
An Example.
"A most charming, white-haired old
lady came In to see me the other day.
and I advised her strongly to study for
the stage. She has a delightful person
ality and two years' or even one year's
work would fit her to make & good liv
ing. There's no other profession In which
you get the value of what you do so
quickly and so liberally as you do on the
stage. , ,
"The greatest number of our girls come
from the "West, but the greatest amount
of talent is shown by the Southern pu
pils. They are, as a rule, pretty, have
charming manners and sweet voices, and
then they usually have temperament.
That Is the keynote of success. The
Southern girls have feelings, fire, Imag
ination, a certain warmth of sympathy
that tells with an audience every time.
They have the talent, but they often fail
from sheer laziness. They do not often
work as hard as the Northern or Western
girl; and. In the Jong run, industry and
pluck telL
"The reason half the promising young
actresses and actors fall to achieve real
success is that they -will not work. They
get discouraged if things do not come
their way at once. They aren't -patient
or plucky. They lose their grip on high
er standards, slip into carelesa work, do
not develop. The women and men who
succeed are working, studying, broaden
ing every day. and employing their leis
ure hours In that way. I could point out
the men and women of real dramat-c
tnTifHnir nnr! nrnvp to vnu that thev are
all working like Trojans. They don't get
nn nt nnnti fiTirl Tool awav inn airemoon
and then fool away half the night, after
theater Is over. Not much.
"T rpmpmhpr vtrs nirn- irnincr behind
the scenes with Mr. Frohman and asking
where a young gin was wno naa a minor
part in the play. The old stagers all
laiiErhpd and said s.he -was in her dress-
ing-xoom grinding away at something
tnat sne never naa time ior any tun, even
between acts, but shut herself uu and
studied Shakespeare. They thought she
John F. Cordray
Manager
Saturday
Matlnca
CH
HARRV ARMSTRONG
2IABEL CASEDY
ADAH SKER3IAN
GUSTAVE H. ICLINE
PRICES
il
was a fool. Today she Is one of the
most successful actresses on the Amer
ican stage, and it was sheer grit and
work, not natural talent, that did It. La
ziness has ruined hosts of actors and
actresses of talent. They either quit tho
work altogether by way of marrlago
usually. In the women's case or elso
they drift down lower and lower, by de
grees, and the tide sweeps on and leaves
them. One must keep up with the dra
matic procession today, or go under.
Different Sort of Applicants.
"The character of our applicants la
gradually changing. The improvement in
the tone of the profession and the broad
ening of social Ideas account for it, I
suppose. We get boys and girls from tho
best families, and a great many college
graduates of both sexes come to us. It's
a funny thing though that we seldom
find our remarkably gifted pupils among
that class. They do well In the modern
society play or light romantic drama; but
for real emotion, high tragedy, pathos,
humor, the prize goes to pupils from the
lowest classes.
"I fancy it is because. In that social
stratum, instinct counts for more than
education. Emotions are primitive, and
tho lower classes don't hesitate to ex
press them in pritnltive fashion. In the
upper crust of society, the gospel of re
pression, has been preached for so long
that every one Is. incased in a hereditary
and acquired shell of good breeding, and
we have a terrible time chipping oft
enough of the shell to let emotion and
sentiment leak through.
"I'll tell jou the hardest proposition in
theatrical training a Quaker pupil. He
may have talent and pluck, but he has
to slough off all his nature, education
and traditions before he can express nat
ural feelings unreservedly. For the last
two years our highest honors have been
carried off by pupils from the lower East
Side. That proes just what I've been
sajing. The students brought us tem
perament and fire, but had no mental
discipline. "We can furnish mental train
ing, but we couldn't have furnished the
dramatic Instinct and temperament. A
good many of our swcller pupils bring
us what we could supply, and haven't
the necessary elements that we can't
supply.
"Mixed blood produces good dramatic
possibilities, and a dash of Hebrew is
especially valuable. The Hebrew temper
ament Is essentially dramatic. In fact,
almost all races are more gifted dramat
ically than are the Anglo-Saxons. Our
prize pupil two years ago was a Hun
garian, and we had a girl who was a com
pound of Hebrew. French and Spanish,
who was a wonder full of fire to her
finger tips.
"Women are easier to work with than
men quicker, more apt. The men seem
less responsive; but, in the long run, I
believe more of our men are definitely
successful than of our women. A good
comedienne Is the hardest thing In the
dramatic world to find. In fact, high
class comedy is out of the reach of most
pupils and professionals. So is straight
high tragedy, for that matter. Eccentric
character work is the easiest thing in
tho profession, and melodrama comes
easily, too. If a pupil shows a tenden
cy to exaggerated melodrama, at first,
we usually encourage it. to give freedom
of expression and unconsciousness. Later
tve can refine it.
Almost Untenclinble.
"One thing is almost unteachable.
There are certain Instinctive tenets ot
good breeding, certain attitudes of mind
and resultant expression that can't very
well be grafted upon an untrained na
ture. They are a matter of heritage and
early training. That's why so many ac
tors and actresses aren't convincing in
society plays. They can study the at
mosphere of a historical play, and, it
they slip up on little things In it. tho
audience will not know the difference,
but a society audience knows what a
modern gentleman will do and will not
do, and any number of clever actors fall,
lamentably, when they try to Interpret
an ordinary, well-bred modern gentle
man. If they haven't the Instincts In
themselves, they slip up in a multitude
of little ways.
"We have a great many ugly duckling
episodes. I have even dropped girls at
the end of their junior year, because I
thought them hopeless, and have seen
them blossom out Into stars; and I have,
grudgingly graduated pupils, thinking
they never would amount to much, who
met with lucky opportunities and
achleyed big reputations. It's a good
deal of a speculation. A number of our
pupils are succeeding famously, not so
much through dramatic talent as througff
an Infinite capacity for diplomacy and
handling their own business Interests.
Others succeed because they have sense
enough to recognize their limitations and
devote all their energies to perfecting
themselves within those limitations. Oh,
the times we have persuading girls who
want to be Juliets that they really have
not any special gift save for old woman
character roles, but could do very well
In that line! And the times we have
convincing undersized men that they
won't do for Orlandos and D'Artagnans,
but will make fairly good French waiters
and valets!
"By the way, lack of physique is the
greatest handicap among young actors.
A very large proportion of our men pu
pils are small, and It counts against
them, but It gives the few big, fine-looking
fellows a good chance, even if they
haven't brains they meet so little com
petition." New York Sun.
Mnilc at the Portljn.l Toulisht.
March "Sweeheart" Pryor
Entre-acte "The Lily" Bendlx
Scenes from "The Beggar Student".
Mlllockeir
GaA otte "L'Ingemue" ArdlttI
Waltzes "Tout Paris" Waldteufei
Two-step "The Man Behind the Gun"
Sousa
Overture "Poet and Peasant" Suppe
Idylte "Narcissus" Nevln
Waltzes "Village Swallows" Strauss
Scenes from "II Trovatore" Verdi
Piece de salon "Wag Tail" Elfcnberg
Cake-walk "Hannah's Promenade"
Stone
Charles L. Brown, director.
Ripening- in tlie San.
A recent poetical effort of one of th?
colored brethren from Southwest Georgia
reads:
"De Georgy watermelon's
Glttln happy in de sun.
En de white man he won't ketch mo
"Whilst I got legs to run!"
AtlantaConstJtutloa.
ICKEN
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