Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-11-26

10TH, IL Is necessary TO ascertain what the per-
formers, especially the ladies' mean to wear
and to persuade them TO adopt colors which
will go well with the background and with each
other. As the scenery is very frequently painted
on the spot by one of the company it may often
be toned so as to harmonic with the dresses.
Another point where beginners often fail is
they do not speak loud enough. For this rea-
son | strongly advise them to act at rehearsals
and to get friend in the back row to tell them
capdidly whether they can be heard Old
stagers are in the habit of rushing through their
words, and only giving the cues distinctly. This
is all very we'll for them, but it does not answer
for beginners and they will find the more they
play their parts at rehearsal as they mean to
play them at the performance the more likely
they are to be successful. The slightest part
may be played well or badly, and you may light
up a character in manner not expressed bv
the stage directions by merely thinking it well
over and considering what it would be natural
for person in such circumstances To do, and
doing it.
Farces. as a rule, are more troublesome TO
get up than cOmediettas. from the quantity of
small properties required. The prompter has as
much to do in some farces as any of the actors
(withOut counting prompting, which ought not
to be required). all the noises behind the scenes
being managed by him. The rattle of breaking
crockery is initiated by sewing up old broken
plates. ETC., in hamper and dropping it. In
Our Wife storm comes on suddenly; the
thunder may he initiated by shaking thin
sheet of iron; the patter of rain. by peas drop
ping from one end to the other of tin box par
TALLY divided by lodges: the noise of a window
bursting in. by crash" filed with bits of tin.
Where the properties required are very numer-
Gus, it is a good plan to tell off one person as
property man, who will make lists OF every
thing that is wanted, collect them before the
play begins. and see that each person has his
own properties before going on. 1t is advisable
to rehearse as much as possible with properties.
The prompter's copy of the play should be in
terieaved with blank paper, on which he makes
notes of all he has to dO-as ringing bells and
all Incidental noises; warning the various actors
and actresses when they have to appear 1t il
well to make note of their different entrances
about half page before they actually occur and
then, II there is call-bOy in the company. he is
sent to warn them to be on the alert Amateurs
generally have to look out for themselves i'm
these matters, and they ought to watch care
fully, as nothing is more annoying to the actors
on the stage than stage-wat. In some PLAYS
dresses have to be changed during the course of
scene; everything should be placed ready be-
forehand, and competent person should be in
waiting to assist the actor or actress. The
changing should also be rehearsed and the time
noted. II the time allowed is very short it is
Wei to request the actors to play slowly during
the interval, to introduce business or even to
gag a little. This ugly but useful word
means simply to add something of your own to
the authors Words and, as a general rule. it
may be said that it is better to stick to the text.
Of course, it is frequently advisable to leave out
lew sentences of the dialogue. but it is seldom
an advantage to add anything to il. except i'm
some rare instances where the sentence is so
0bscurely wOrded to leave the auditors i'm
doubt as to the meaning of it,
The tag" at the end of most plays must be
lett out by amateurs who only wish their pieces
TO run two or three nights. and therefore need
not make an appeal to the audience to ''come
again., indefinitely. The play generally ends
quite as well without it; if it does not the prn-
clpal performer (who would speak the tag) can
generally substitute something else for it which
Will make an effective ending to the piece Many
modern plays are written without any tag.
1t may be well to remember when fixing on
the pieces to be performed, that amateurs rarely
take as long in acting play as professionals
do. except where there are several scenes, and
then the extra time consumed by unprofes-
slonal scene-shfters brings it up to the time
mentioned at the beginning of each play; but
where there is only one scene as in a farce
where professionals have written down
an hour. amateurs might usually write
down three-quarters, the difference being
that they speak quicker. and have not always
nerve enough to Ego i'm for much business. |
imagine all actors know what business means.
IL Oelng as essential part of acting as speaking
is; it is, in fact the doing ANYTHING in contradis
tinction to speaking it. Business is not by any
means essentially cOmic it may be sentimental
and is some cases is unspeakably touching. OF
course there may be business in putting up an
umbrella. but SO there is-and an unpleasant
,''Aouh. vi I'LL d uslIiS SCENE 10 De elltc, I've
business must be as realistic modern pre-
raphaelite picture. If you have to play gar
dener Gas, for instance. the gardener in Sweet
hearts mark the way in which. a gardener pre-
pares his bass for tying up his plants. the way
he handles the parcel-a young tree tied up
the comfortable manner he disposes himself On
the ladder for gossip instead of work. even
the way he mOstens his hands when he decides
to dig; all of that is business. A butler, mill
liner, cobbler, all have tricks of manner: and
human nature itself has a good many tricks
which speak to the eye more quickly than words