Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-01-04
STAGE Lac.
Folks Who Are Ultimately Made Up
Of Bits of Other People.
How Actors aud Actresses spend the
Idle Time Behind the Scenes
Beings from Another
--a-.- WOrid.
ICs,icaco News I4,t.r.l

Actors and actresses are either bove or
below the ordinary world The successful
star j. above it: the SUPER l. below IL They
are never sure of their Individuality They
grow ultimately TO BE entirely made up of
bits Of other p6s;,e. and those people mainly
creature, ni the brains of drama Is: and vo
calists. Their : cial lie j. affectsti'm. Their
stage affectatiui i generally the nicF1s gen
uine life of the two fiiey live in Il world OF
rouge and powder, 81 wigs and costumes. and
their own compilations, their own hair. and
their every d.; dress are things they 2radu-
ally grow IS feel uncomfortable ia.
Ii j. I, World I'll hope and anticipation. and
no actor or actress ever really know, failure
One round Of applause viii .lDrify an even-
in; that will :aaia,e thr,iugh a week or a
month os le7s favorable experience The
mere attention 1T an audience will keep them
excited, even II 1t Is an audience that would
90 away II II could bhe part played for a
week III season VIII i'-ntraii5s forty Week
Oh shall aud ui'inip"Ifant business ',h
grand Otusi al "ig'iau-e VIII hN" IA IN.
memory rs long a IN" memory iiNe> III
character doc not =" wen, inc meicurial
ieiG! ari@iii fins eNc'i>-e and Justilcat,on,
all Si'"N VITA ific 'Nll'r at'"n"i hiitiiS the
pubic IN some "l.irf
Behind the scenes II "A play Is fascinating.
Around III" stlgc. down IN the dressing
rooms, Ia the wing, everywhere there is "A
suppressed excitement. H,siI.-ss figures move
II ami fro about the entrances, and even
where one has an act t. wait, there is a few
eg.s.i anxiety that i a constant excitaiion.
Conversation il in snaicIcs and half whispers.
Everybody i interested. not only in his own
yJarr, but ne VIII listen over ami over again
10 spcecles Of others the stage, and steal
out occasionally 10 seq how scene Is going.
AMI find cut how far an act has progressed.
Thc character Is never wholly laid aside.
Mechanical bursts Of small talk only point
the engroS>ins subject IN mind, and even
years of experience never give To an actor or
actress the power to throw off between exit
and entrance the thought OF the play AMI the
part.
The actor stands ami gaze, ir the glass.
He fe.ls that he is all right. yet he seems al
ways 10 tini some little rcIrra ne einent OF
his wiz. some little dressing of his hair
necessary. Ths actress studies herself all
over. To her n pin out OF place Is annoy
ance. a spot too much IF rouge, a trial. the
lightes' article of dres, awry, AN agony. II
Is not the vanity OF woman who Is dressed
Tor the ballroom half 20 much as TIE anxiety
La case some flaw may b. found by the ladies
IN the audience and commented upon. She
knows she is not the Miss Jones of the cast;
she is the princess of the play. She viii
carry on the stage fan, or handkerchief of
the greatest value partly from vanity, per-
haps, but mainly u try to be in keeping
with her character.
Both actors and actresses spend the idl,
time behind the C .nes III thinking over the
speeches they have Just delivered and the
speeches they have Yet 10 deliver, and when
pieces only go Tor a week, there Is no night
they feel that they have not TO look out care
fully Tor some line or hit OF business In
every new town they go 10 different scenes
catch the audiences Strong scenes IN New
YORK go nat IN Chicago; points that draw
applause IN Boston pas Gnno'iced III San
FRANCISCO, and some bIt OF BUSINESS upon
which no stress has been laid may, IN one
night, become triumph OF acting.
Most actresses do not like TO have their al
mirers behind tie scenes. The rouge and
powder ana paint are too PLAN am repellent
at Close quarters, anu Yet they are all neeieI
before the glare OF the loot lSht> One can
understand Row love making must become
mechanical on the stage and kiss be given
ut distance. Indeed. To 20 Close TO an actor
and actress. and see the grease, paint and
false hair, the powier that rut> oil ON every
thing IL touches, the heavily darkene1 eye
laSnes, the wig that i, always frcwSy when
yol come close TO Ii, one wonders that the EN-
hr,cing and emotion, the kissing AMI love
making. can be made to appear 50 real ami
natural AMI Vet 10 he an effective actor OF
actress one must nav" the freedom that
comes from the knowie lee that it Is all pre-
ten.
And TIL, IS The actors life. Here. amid
Imaginary tees and rocks, in canya ,-walle1