, 1884-10-26
MAKING ACTORS.
The New Will In New York Begins
Work on Domestic Goods.

New York Sun.
A hundred assorted people climbed to the
three upper stories Of Is West Twenty-third
street and plunged into the Lyceum School
Of Acting. Fragments Of Shakespeare and
society drama aoated down the stairway.
Eighty pupils Who had passed the entrauce
EXAMINATION we're taking lessons Nj. Max
Freeman walked up and down the carpet i'm
pressively on one floor, while a class OF anna
teurs studied the fine points OF his gait and
stage business. In another room Il charming
little lady went through dramatic panto-
mime for the benefit of other students, and
still another lady on another floor tested the
vocal capacities Of Il third section OF pupils.
In the afternoon all tho pupils in u body
walked mp to the Comedy theatre and list
ened to a vaSsar college young lady. who
lectured about the Theatre Francois method
Of acting.
Before the lessons began, Mr.. Steele Mac
kaye made a speech to the young ladse, and
gentlemen. telling them hat the best oil
them vii be organized at the end OF the year
into a company which will represent the
school in a series OF matinees at the Lyceuin
theatre He told them that the1 might az
pear under assumed nmes II they wanted b.,
but he hoped they wouldn't.
All this time and long Afterwand "a very
active man, with a black beard and bright
black eyes, nearly talked himself to death ia
the office answering the food of questions
that stage-struck young women kept asking
him about the school, about acting, about
the chances OF their being able TO act, about
the possibility Of their being worth seeing II
they did, about the possibility OF their get
ting their money back il they didn't feel
satisfied with u term at the school, and other
pnfuralln aatna Nhaa~a GnpaA rf rh. ura.l
cants had descended from carriages at the
door. and two ministers complicated the
active mans p~erplexity very early in the
morning by asking If the school would
GUARANTEES to make pulpit orators OF them.
By $3.50 o'clock the man was hardly nhieit 10
tell whether his name was MAcGeachy or not.
Wen have TO shut down Oh this" he said,
"or el-e Well get so much 10 do that it will
swamp rs altogether. Women just pour in
here The Instruction fee OF 500 seems to lie
no obracie to their ambition. They are very
erratic ~ their notions. To-day ons fat
woman. who was cross-eyed. wauf0I 10
know If she couldn't make a leading lady
Another, who had no voice at ell, wanted
to become a t~ragedienne.
"What work does the school propesv g9 DIS
vote itself tor
ave proposs 70 take good amateur, and
nhhe uStofo VI tueuni hlu MAKE DclleI uCloIh
Of people who are already professionals. Its
3 big iob, but We think that, after our rigid
admission examination, our eight months
course Of training will bring out latent talent
We make any kind OF actors-trngedians.
comedians, soubrettes, or anything elsa
When they are ready managers can come
here and pick out what they want when they
run short OF material"
do you expect to make any grsat actors"
That depends on fortune. We guarantee
10 make good actors, not stars. This Is II
sort Of factory, and all its proprietors
guarantee is that it will turn out good goods.
We fired out two ambitious n~incompoQps to-
day, already, and we will get rid in the same
gentle, inoffensiyo way of all the stage
struck, bnt worthless material that viii
wander ~ between owl and Juns. We don't
keep them long in suspenss.'