The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-26
DRAMATIC sKEroHEs-No. 8.
The Stage Carpenter, with Dissertation
on ttT'raps.o

fact that one is seldom never seen In whom the
elements OF hufiness and grufiness are not equally
oommingled, and at the expense Of all softer emo
tions The stage carpenters hand appears to be |
against every man, and every mans hand against |
his And yet the reason is not hard to get at He
lie driven so hard and so continually that he has no
time for the amentes; he is joled so necessarily
that the milk in his nature becomes curdled. No
one in the theatre Is In such complete and never
ending request, no one is dismissed 80 cavalierly
when the work is done, and no one gets so little
credit for what he does.
A weight on his mind is the safety OF the bridges,
sruns," etc., with which all romantic pieces more or
less abound This sort OF responsibility is entirely
exceptional with him. The stage manager, prompter,
and property man all have grave responsibilities,
but OF them affect the safety OF life limb In
many OF the carpenters contrvances this considera-
ton Is prominent, and 1t must be additionally re-
membered that every imitation rock, tree, or bal
cony is made Just as light and with as little wood
and as few nails as will serve the purpose
When Mr.. Forrest was playing his last engage
ment at the Academy of Music, in this city, Corto-
Idnus was produced 1t was "grand revival" and
great pains was taken with it. In the coronation
scene it arranged that the "eagle in dove cot"
should mount a tremendous platform, the highest
ever constructed, where, with the other characters
grouped pyfamidicahy around him to the base he
might form spectacle for angels to weep over and
admire. The Eminent" however, what with poor
conscience, the gout the business not being overly
good, and other complications was nervous about it.
In his mad youth he may have cut some antics, but
the case was now altered. Before he would trust
his august foot to this Throne OF Royal State,
the whole establishments had to tramp over
it, headed, by the tragedian's express
stipulation, by the carpenter who built it Nor did
this novel inspection end with the first night At
every representation OF the piece Forrest would
have, between acts, the ceremony solemnly re-
peated at the extreme top Of the staging was
little space a few feet square, which "Coriolauus"
was to stand, and on this 1t Mr.. Forests humor
to have the carpenter stamp and gestcuate, and to
test in divers other ways the actor in his robes look
ing grmly on at the little round-shouldered man in
overas and paper cap, capering away for dear life
1t was an instructive scene.
Everything great or small, simple or complex, In
the way Of scenery the stage carpenter must fur
nsh. In addition to all this he has the working of
the stage in his hands, the changing and setting OF
scenes, This OF itself is enough to turn mans
hair grey in a month. This is his night work, and
all day he is getting ready to do it. Concerning his
handiwork, he is expected to make, and does make,
anything from ship to a steam engine. Some OF
the most magn6centlookng machinery
invented has been the work of the
stage carpenter. There was a piece once
acted at the Bowery Theatre called The Working Men
of NeU York, in which the mechanical effects were
something stupendous. In one scene the dastardly
assaier OF female immaculateness caught in the
machinery Of the mill in which the heroine worked,
and whittier the heavy man had followed her. He
drawn into the mill and ground into bloody pulp,
as he richly deserved to be-. The curtain
invariably went up q second time on this
scene, but one night there was a hitch some
where, and when, after delay, the encore was re-
sponded to, three or four men were discovered with
hy-wheels on their heads and walking beams under
their arms carrying off with great alacrity the
largest engine ever seen In this country except that
of the Great Eastern. This was too much even for
the "East Sde," and for once injured innocence
not properly appreciated at the Bowery
The sense OF responsibility OF which we have
spoken, however, is at times strangely alb
sent. The stage carpenter works for "a
vast outside unseen something, and he
unconsciously, yet naturally grows to regard only
that incentive. The everyday mechanic feels no
such consuming anxiety about his work. II it is
good work there is an end. But the stage carpen-
ters work may be ever so good and yet fail There
is no safety for him until the curtain falls; and If the
result is failure it ia not the disappointment OF one
purchaser, but OF hundreds OF people. Thus his
sometimes recklessness OF safety, to either himself
or others, is explained If it is not excused. Here is
a story in point. During the performance Of
the spectacle OF the Ice Witch at a
Southern theatre few years ago, strap" had
been set and was ready for use. A front scene was
on Cn the first "groove" or 'entrance;' "carpen-
ter's scene" as it is sometimes called, designed to
afford opportunity for resettng the stage without
interrupting the performance and back Of it every
thing was prepared for the climax Of the piece.
just before the prompter's whistle blew, however,
luckless ballet girl, running hurredly across the
stage to avoid being caught by the "change, stepped
the trap and preciptated into the cellar. At
once all " as CONSERVATION and in the midst of II
the scene changed. A lot of frightened people went
streaming kto the carpenter, crying, 'Oh, Mr. c.,
of the girls has fallen down the trap and broken
her leg!" and more to that effect Mr.. G. for little
time was aghast; he was like that swearing man who
could not do justice to the occasion. Finally he
roared:-"I knew some of you fools would break thai
trap, yet! A man can't leave a thing minute in
this place without its being interfeTed NTH. I'm moi
going TO put up with such fooshness and the stage
manager shall know it," Not that old G. was a
hard-hearted man, either,-only as 1t grew towards
eleven O'Clock he scarcely knew whether he stood
on his head or his heels. And this little aneodotC
(not tribe to the balet-gir, 1t may be mentioned
by the way who went lame for lfe) leads us natu
rally gracefully to OF the topics OF the pres
ent article
No little part OF the stage equipment, as we hav
heretofore shown is located far above the foo
OF the stage and, on the other hand, as great
share OF IL is beneath. The entire space from tn
cellar door to the roof is stage room the specato
in most scenes seeing only one-third, and neVe
more than One-haf, OF it. The excavations beneat
the stage proper should at certain points CHOSE
generally as far back possibe) DE as deep as tn
distance from the floor to the grooves at the bottoI
OF the dies. This is to allow for 'sinkng" scenes,
they are termed one OF the greatest OF stage convt
niences, and productive OF most pleaI
ing effects. The entire basement doe
not require to be of this depth, bu
an ample area is at all points desirable. This sui
scenic region is largely utilized, and a prncipi
means Of communication is the trap" compl
Gated system OF seanoldng and machinery is n
quired 70 sustain these simple. looking affairs, an
to depress and raise them at the proper times The
are OF all Sizes from the grave in Hamlet to the pe(