The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-02
DRAMATIC sKBTCHEs-No. g.



edal significance; generally, u includes the entire
stage equipment above the ground floor; parficu-
t0Ty (and thia Ia the sense in which it is most fire.
4uenty used) 1t means that side OF the stage only
(geEeray the right or prompt side) from which the
Surtains and 'borders" are worked. We shall have
In this article most to say OF this latter portion OF the
fiies. but before proceeding will give general idea
OF the whole region
On well-prOpertioned stage the 1ies are hung
rather less than half the distance from the floor 10
che roof. They are light but substantial platforms,
built out from tho wall OF the three closed sides OF
the stage. The tive side platforms naturally
accommodate themselves to the sze OF the
prescenium, but that at the back can be built
out to suit the will, the only controlling
consideration being how much OF stage
depth shall be dispensed with. This back
platform is the studio OF the theatre, or, as it is
rather practically called, the ''paint room" 1t has
peculiar fitness for this purpose, and is always so
used. A frame the width OF the stage runs, by
means OF ropes and CONFERENCE.-The IN grOoved
pests, up and down In front of the platform. Upon
this frame are set the stretched canvases and the
scene painter can thus approach his work at any
degree OF nearness at pleasure The left-hand plat
form 1--WE always suppose the slghtseer to be facing
the auditorium is put to variety Of uses. The
carpenter shop is usually placed hero; huge, un-
slightly, but indispensable apartment The rooms
containing the wardrobe OF the theatre are also
most frequently placed at this side of the nles.
storage Of scenery and properties not Immediately
required.
We come now to our special ground. At first
sight it resembles, more than anything ese the deck
OF q ship. Ropes innumerable stretch Obliquely
teward the ceiling secured at their lower ends upon
wooden pins These ropes serve to hold IN place
the various borders;" to work the roller ats, the
chandeliers, and sundry other scenic arrangements;
and to hoist and lower the curtains. For the latter
business, especially in large theatres where the cur
tains very heavy extra sized double windlasses
are used and in some eases other windasses are
brought in play upon very heavy nat drops. By q
"hat" is understood the main scene, occupying the
back OF the stage as seen by the spectator 1t is made
generally IN two equal halves, which are pushed on
grooves from opposite sides, meeting in the CEN
tire OF the stage. In this case they in no way
controlled from the ies. Sometimes, however, it is
more convenient to have the nat painted in a single
picture, and mounted like curtain on q roller. In
that case it is worked by the 1ymen The "borders"
are the narrow strips Of hanging scenery arranged
to match the successive stage pictures They
OF many sorts, plain sky, cloud, wood, interior,
drapery, etc etc., and their proper working is an
important matter, as it must be done in perfect
accord with the changes below, or the result is a
ludcrous confusion. To have q forest with O
kitchen roof, or grand palace with roof at all
that is to say, with the blue sky overhead-might
tickle some people who have no reverence for any
thing but would most assuredly not please the
stage-manager These important adjuncts OF the
scene have to be changed frequently, AID the n.y.
men are at some distance from the stage and must
work entirely by signals it follows that they should
be thoroughly trustworthy and reliable persons.
There is more blind dependence placed in them than
upon any individuals about the theatre The
prompter is their manager, but he is far away and
only talk to his through the media of speak
ing tubes and mufled bells II they are not atten-
tive to these sgnals-there Is nothing else to warn
them, for half the time they cannot see the stage
and do not know what is going on thereon-n they
are not constantly on the alert and do not follow
orders bindly, implicitly, down goes the show!
Scenery mixed up inextricsbly curtains rising and
falling at will-most certainly down would come, or
mp would go, the SHOW. All the grand acting In the
world could not save 1t.
The flies are ameng the most curious of the
sights to be found behind the scenes, and the men
IN the flies are among the most eccentric and orIgi-
nal characters of that region. Their standard of
acting is one Of their strangest traits We have
never known it to vary. They praise
an actor or piece not In
proportion to the applause excited or money at
tracted. but for the amount Of work exacted from
the flies. piece that has scene set for an
aot they have very small opinion OF. Richard III
they are inclined to rate the finest play that is
and Shakespeare in general meets their approval; I;
but those Frenchifed pieces, Robertsonian
dramas ETC., they speak OF contemptuously, as
showing no variety or originality. Not that they
you will find them at such times growing at their
hard luck, but, like other folks, when the easy
Gays come they look back longngly to the times
when they had their hands full, and when their
province was no light one in the successful per-
f0rmance of q ditficut play.
Theatrical people noted for their clannlshness.
This spirit does not include in one body the whole
number OF workers. On the contrary, the depart
ments seem instiActively to form clans, armed not
only against the outside barbarians, but against
each other Actors form close corporation, but not
closer against mere folks who are not actors than
against their somesort companions, the mechanics,
working people, ETC., OF the stage. The carpenters,
etc. form for their own parts close bodies, from
which the player is as much excluded as Common
Councilman. The mechanics OF the theatre, Ia fact,
rather look down upon the actors. They admit,
when put to 1t, that the players are kind OF neces
sty but they sure that nihe-tenths OF their i'm
portance is dependents upon the unseen Drawn and
muscle OF the stage So the whole theatre is divided
but no men in it are more thoroughly clannsh than
the men in the flies. Their isolated position has
much TO do with this their peculiar relation TO the
drama has good DEAL and their $50 to speak life
long connection with their singular posts has mos
Of all. The steadiness with which 1ymen work and
hold their positions is something remarkable. Il
requires a singular combination in man to fit hin
for this work-great punctuaiy, regularity, obe
dience to orders; but when man once does ht it
the place has a great fascination for him. The
actors hit from season to season; the mechanics
although more constant, yet, with the exception O
chief carpenter, gas men, and one or two others
rarely hold longer than two or three seasons but
men In the flies, oftener than not, go int
their places young men and stay In then
until they are grey. They always carry on SOM
separate business in the daytime and they have NJ
rehearsals to very out their lives. 1t was this as
pect Of the subject that first struck the writer
fancy Here ia bodV OF men living In an art atmC