Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-06-19
EATRICAI Slam
A Number OF the Queer Expressions That are
Used by "the rrofess,ou"


Used by "the Profession"
To large extent, says tho ~. ,Jamc,
| Gdscttc, thoasrical slang is u matter OF alb
hroyiation. The profession" seldom uso a
whole word when part will do as well, and
they begin Ivy calling themselves "pros" A
theatrical notice in tho newspapers Is not a
paragraph" but "par." "Bg" IL "busi.
ness, but thore are two kinds OF 1t : "good
biz means full "houses; !" when "hl" IL
bad the treasury is empty, and "the ghost
walks" The actors "bia" however, il
quite different thing, and 80 important that
II is often given its unabbreviated name OF
"business." 1t includes all the players by.
play. llsmlet's triling with Ophelia's fan in
the play scene, tho clowns manipulation OF
the poker, the funny mans antics with the
whisky bottle, Dundreary's hop, are all the
special "husinc>s" of tho gentleman who
plays the part. The " business Is often not
In tho book" lt is frequently introduced
10y the creator Of part, tradition handing IL
down from generation to generation. Busi-
ness in old plays has been traced back to
before the days ot GarriCk indeed, the
creators OF some of tho Shakespearisn char
acters are still, 1t Is believed, followed in
their readings by the old school OF actors.
COwley aud kempe, Tor instance, are respon-
siOle for the "business" of Dogherry and
NergeS and the waistcoats of the first grave
digger in limlet are "a old ~ the seven
teonth century. ellis original character IL
a line the actor likes to be able to add to his
name in the playbill. 1t really means that
tho "original business" Oi the part Is his.
When one characters "husiness' il 10 great
as to be the chief feature of the play, the
piece is called after him. Thus, the popular
farce Turn HuR ont is "NObb's Piece
business In this sense was in use in thea
trcal circles a hundred and thirty years ago;
and long before, maybe.
The classihcating OF players according to
their line Of business is little thought of now.
adays Until lately, however, 1t was very
arbitrary. The "hesVy man was he who
played such parts as Hamleps uncle, IagO,
the " Tiger in The Ticket-oE- Lcurc Man.
Cassie was walking gentleman the
"utility man. was he who made himself
useful the Glow comedian" could not pOach
on the preserves of the "light comedian "
there were cold women" (hrst and secoud),
"singing Chambermaids,n 4" leading iuye-
niles" and boys" These terms are still
in daily use, but the long "runs" will be
the death OF them. An actor is chosen now.
adays To- nh one part, when formerly he
played hundred parts III a season. The
manager OF a "stOCk company was always
careful to have his "heaSy man." chamber
maid" etc , and his "scOres'' of plays-that
is to say, his lists Of dramatis persona in the
pieces he had down for production had op.
posite each name, IN pencil marks, the
technical term for the man who would play
It Instead OF Hamlet-Mr. Soand. So."
tue SetNTt tehl - Misunderstanding luNthllt.
Old-iashioned managers and playwrights
still have this custom. The term "ruu"
was used above. Fielding has ii in the same
sense.
When the player is in the provinces he is
" on the road the phrase obviously relic
of the times when actors played in barns and
jOurneyed from town TO town in wagons.
some companies only go to the small towns,
when they are said to he 'doing the smalls."
Members Of provincial companies are "out"
=, a rar rt In la nix no ,la "a. D.,
be on" II you do not know your words
you are a " flutier," and to "queer the man
ayers pitch is to disapToint him. Few ac-
tors who play variety of parts are well
quainted with any part in piece but their
own. They trust to the "cue " to keep them
right The " cue " is the sentence spoken
by another which they have to follow. Often
they only watch for the last word OF the SEN
tence. Then the ''cue" is "the word" "Fat'
is a slang term for good busness-a telling
speech or anything else that the actor can
make much ot By-the-bye, fat" is a pop
ular slang term in several trades and pro.
fessionS, meaning something different in
each. The cnmpositOr's " fat for instance is
the blank space for which he il paid without
having any type to set" Rosalind's pro-
logue In "As You Like IT. is a " lovely tag"
that being a tag" in which the player adj
dresses the audience. These are known an
I" the front Of the house." and the theatre is
the shop" The play itself Is called the
show" This term is but year or two old,
but is already popular. Much more ancient
is the term gods for the occupants of the
gallery.
props" the abbreviation in use for "pro-
perties," is a very important term. Every
thing stored at the theatre for use on the stage
Is "prop" these are the managers props.
The actors props are the articles OF clothing
which he has to provide for himself These
vary according to the status OF the company
managers of repute providing everything eX-
cept tights and a few other articles, while
needy managers like their company to have a
" wardrobe " OF their own. Plot " is used
with somewhat peculiar significance. There
are a number of 'plOts" to every play. Thus
the scene plor' is a list OF the various scenes.
The 'nyman's plot'' is list Ofthe articles re-
quired by the tlyman or man in the flies"
There is similarly " gasman's plot" The
property plot Inc udes all properties used
in the piece, and the prompter Is responsible
for their all being At hand at the proper time.
The least important OF the Prompter's duties,
indeed, is to prompt.
To get a PERCEPTION" il to be welcomed
with applause from the front when you make
your first appearance for the evening; to have
"calp' Is to be cheered back to bow your ac-
acknowledgements when you go oil. Quite as
much store il set on reception as on a call.
The one means that you are recognized as a
favorite, the other that you have made
shit" The "star," or leading player, is put
sadly out of countenance if she comes on in
silence, and the "s super" has sometimes to
suffer for it. BY calling " supers' supes,"
the actor contrives to get rid Of the second
syllable of "supernumeraries." Super " Is
vaguely used at times to include the chorus
though the ladies of the latter, at all events,
recognize a difference. They sing, while the
super is mute. The ballet-lady, on the other
hand, does not sing-she dances.