Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-03-28
IN THE PANTOMIME.
Parts Which Children Like Best In
Spectacular Plays.

81 don't want to wear that dress; it
ain't bright and pretty Ike the
Others"
The child was a pretty girl of s
years, and she was being aTrayed in a
coarse, dark gown to represent Little
Buttercup in ''Pinafore. "
''It is always so." commented Mr..
Joseph W. Homer. the costumer, to
reporter who happened TO be present.
1--we been at this business th!rty-dve
years, and 1 haven't yet found the
child who did not object to appearing
In dark or coarse costumes"
1.-The costumes the little e enjoy
most, p" added Mr.. Horner, those
that are brilliant; the brighter and
more sparkling they are the better the
children are pleased, while a somber
dress seems to have a bad effect on
them at once. The boys like soldier
clothes best and sailor suits next. The
girls always take u great fancy to
train gown, and when they represent
birds of long plumage they pay particu-
lar attention to it. | have watched
them very closely and have noticed,
too, how peculiarly old fashioned girls
are n every instance, ard how they
are all attention to the instructions
given them, requiring much less effort
in this respect than boys. Some of the
most elegant costumes worn by girls of
8 to Syears are those OF the style OF
Louis NV for the minuet. In this
they wear dresses of the finest quality
of figured silk, with puffed sleeves, and
trimmed with gold and silver. These
costumes cost often as high as SIS each.
Elegant suits for the boys are made of
silk velvet, square cut. They include
sword. jeweled buckles and trimming
of pink silk and velvet. Such a suit
complete is worth 500. They are for
the minuet also. Fairy costumes are
made of lighter material, but are often
trimmed with lace and embroidered in
gold and silver.
How young have you known chill
dren to appear in private theatricals or
ON the professional stage?"
AS early as ? years of age. 1 re-
member girl of this age who com
mitted eight verses to memory and re-
cited them at a Sunday-scnool enter
| talnment. She did not break down
| once. and her pronunciation was cor
| rect throughout. at fairy play in d
| hall in New York City, at which a
| school took part, there was girl of 3
years who remembered her part all
through and did the stage business
well. She also sang in an Operetta "
"What is the best age for teaching
children to actY'
For girls, or 8 years. The brain
at that time begins really to develop
ana Is most susceptible. Boys must be
10 years old before they can do any
thing cute or smart on the stage. That
Is my actual experience, and I've
g ns.E,F CT.
appearances. Ny idea is that child's
| soul is as mature as a grown PERSONS
| The penetrating gaze of children seems
to me to show this.''
! ''What parts are children best iD?''
pathetic and singing parts. Comedy
in children is very rare. In fancy
pieces, those written especially for
children, the boys do as well as girls
but the girls learn their parts and
seem to understand what is wanted of
them much quicker than boys. They
do not forget, while the boys do. The
| boys will leave out lines. The parts
must be fairly thumped into them. l
recall one remarkable piece of work by
girl OF years that will show you
how apt they are. The play was The
Tempest" and number of children
were TO act for some charitable instltu-
! ton. The girl who was to take ths
part of Ariel was 10 years old. At
noon on the day the play was to be
given she met with an accident that
| rendered her appearance impossible.
Our only hope was a child years old,
who we knew was bright enough to
| read the pa-t. We saw her that after
noon and asked her to read the part.
She had been on the stage before in
private theatricals, and had done very
well. She refused TO read, but said she
would learn the part. There were 200
lines and seven or eight entrances. She
began at 3 O'Clock, and by the time the
curtain was rung up had committed
the part completely to memory Why,
on the stage she reclted it as readily as
if it had been an everyday occurrence
with her. She was the child of poor
parents. have seen great big girls of
IA or Is cry and snivel over their part
when younger ones would get along
without any difficulty. l remember a
noteworthy case where L had seventy
young girls in tableau. The girl in
it representing the Spirit of Death was
only 10. l gave them their positions,
and told them to leave the stage, come
back and take exactly the same places
again. They did it without a single
error"
"How long does it take to prepare a
child to take part?"
"For play six rehearsals, as a rule,
are sufficient and for tableau one re-
hearsal is enough. In tableau of a
gypsy dance not long ago l placed the
children in position, hand and foot
raised as If dancing, and then dis
missed them. Two days later they ali
took the same positions without word
of instruction. An interesting case was
that of a score of children whose ages
ran from to l3, and who were gov
erned as to their positions on the stage
by different lights, one position for
blue, another for red and 80 on lot
one missed after the first rehearsal, and
the little ones were just as apt as the
older ones and were, besides, often
first to take their places"
'Do many Of the children become
professional actors!"
"NoP These little private perform
ances are done for the amusement of
friends, and parents are delighted to
see their children in them, but when
the children are wanted for the pro-
fessional stage the parents object at
once. There Is no instance that l know
of where child has been cultivated at
so early an age for the stage; nor do l
know OF woman who became a bril-
liant actress from a smart child on the
stage. L do know, however, of
boys who were bright in this respect
who have become good actors. The
child who in 1850 made such a hit as
Eva In "Uncle Toms Cabin" when it
first came out, is an example of what l
tell you. She grew up in the profess
sion, but was not successful"
Quiniuc.