Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-26
AN ACTORS CHRISTMAS.
= NARRATIVE OFTHE THEATRE
BY JOHN D'ARME.

An actors Christmasl II the reader is
not professional or not acquainted with
professionals and only familiar with the
actors life from the "front" lin the pro-
tessional veruacular for the auditorium J
it will be concluded that an actors
Christmas Will be very pleasant; as actors
presumptively lead very pleasant lite;
sleeping late in the morning; enjoy ing
the sunshine while business men are busy
in their offices or counting rooms, the
fayorite of fortune, forsooth!
he professional reader or the privi-
legged few who like myself are familiar
with life in that mysterious world behind
the curtain (the dividing line between the
s'front" of real life will smile; for an &C
tors Christmas means matinee per-
Torrance. Holidays for the public is no
holiday tor the actor, and there is always
an extra or matinee performance on such
occasions. The only holiday in the sense
of rest and relaxation from work that the
actor knows, it may be observed en- pas
SAINT, is Sunday; and then often he is re-
Quired in the theatre for dress rehearsal
Of the new piece to be produced the en-
suing Monday evening.
1t is true that to the actor out Of en-
gagement the holiday is often a day of
rejoicing as affOrding him employment,
as many performances are often prepared
for tine occasion only, and consequently
the disengaged professionals always find
work In these ''snaps," as they are char
acterized in the vernacular OF the theatre
and which generally take the nature OF an
excursion to some rural town, going up
In the morning by the train and leaving
between midnight and davbreak, accord
ing to the railway schedule, after an al
ternoon and evening performance, with
dreary dinner between, and all generally
so thoroughly tired out that they sleep all
the way back.
OF course the members OF the companies
in the leading metropolitan theatres do
not fare so badly as their less fortunate
brethren and sisters who are compelled
to accept these "snap" engagements or
who belong to the travelling companies,
PLAYING one night or one week In each
place visited, and who consequently lit
orally Live in their trunks" But even
the regulars have TO appear at a matinee,
which so far interferes with the domestic
routine that the festivities OF the day are
never observed until the hours of rest and
leisure after the evenings performance,
when the Christmas dinner, for instance,
is eaten while the rest OF the world Is abed
dreaming over theirs.
No wonder, then, that the professional
reader smiled at the mention OF an &C
tors Christmas; for even If 1t comes on
Sunday, as IL does every seven years or
so, the popular celebration occurs on
Monday, and there is the inevitable
extra performance in the afternoon, for
the edifcation of the children, the SER
wants, the social nOmads in every COM
munity who only attend the theatre on
holidays, or the travelling public to whom
Christmas dinner is sort OF a mockery
of the reminiscence OF previous Christ
mae dinners at home.
The actor 10 still rated vagrant on the
statute books, though his social position
for numerous good and obvious reasons
10 better now in this country and England
than it has ever been, the selt-respecting
and accomplished members being well
coined in high society with statesmen,