The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-10-16
CHILDREN FOR THE PANTOMiME.
A Great Deal of Careful, Persistent
Training Necessary-At Drill.
d.

A Great Deal of Careful, Persistent
Training Necessary-At Drill.
TGood Words1
Long. patient, persevering rehearsals
are indispensable The rehearsal begins
four to five weehs before Christmas, and
for this period the children get no re-
Enumeration. They require to attend
every afternoon and evening for three
or four hours, but except for night or
two Immediately preceding the opening
performance they are not kept beyond
o'clock. On one of these nights l
learned with regret they had been kept
night and morning throughout.
i 18th the principal school board officer
| visited the theatres during the rehear-
sal. We were received with the utmost
courtesy-were conducted over those
mysterious regions behind the scenes,
where the arrangements are so cleverly
all. artlstlcaIly manipulated, and &C
auired all necessary information regard
ing the employment of young people.
The selection and classification of the
children according to the parts they are
to play is one of the first considerations
of the stage manager or his assistants.
v hen so class ned special training Is re-
CURED to suit them Tor the indI> idual
characters they are to represent.
One group at time, like class in
school, is taken in hand by the drill
master, and the requisite instruction in
dance or action or song is given for
longer or shorter time, according to the
progress made. Piano or violin accom-
panies the rehearsal, giving life to the
songs and choruses as well as materially
assisting in keeping proper time Songs
specially got up for the occasion have to
l. ,,raofiooH ho chor Nit
girls chant ditty about being happy
all day long and jump about with their
skipping ropes. The wagoners flourish
and crack their whips and sing of
"Jolly, jolly wagoners. The fat boys"
are taught certain funny movements,
and have a ranting, rowing melody
peculiar to merry, merry fat boys.
All this, it will be seen, can not be
perfected without great deal of careful,
persistent trimming IN another theatre
: Win. Ii We Visited during the rehearsal
! the chief feature was the drill, and it
was perfectly amazing to see the beauti-
full and intricate figures the children de-
scribed as they marched and inter-
marched and countermarched and adj
| Vanced and retired, and threw their lit
tie arms and limbs into the most grace
| full postures Some represented reapers
and shepherdesses, and the various move
ments with reaping hooks, rakes, and
crooks, all accompanied by suitable
music, were very artistically rendered.
By very slight change of costume
the children were transformed into tiny
blacksmiths, and very harmonious
blacksmiths they became. One handled
the tongs, while on real anvils others
swung in very tradesmanlike fashion
little hammers of iron, all chanting at
the same time q melOdious refrain
which rythmically harmoni ed with
their tinkling musical strokes, afford
ing altogether novel and interesting
| spe tacle The dresses and costumes
| are not worn at the rehearsals, and
only so much of the paraphernalia in
PRODUCED as may be found necessary for
proper initiation and instruction