Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-07-17
FALLING ON THE STAGE.
An Actress Tells How 1t Is Done--DanD~r
OF Getting Hurt.

An Actress Tells How II Is Done-Dan1~r
OF Getting Hurt.
WANT to know how we fall?' said tho
beautiful. graceful woman by, see.
this way. First your knee, and then your
hip, and then your shoulder. and you arc
down." and the graceful figure was prone
on the carpet with outstretched arms
Every fold Of her lace drapery in the pref
test possible place, not an inch of her
ankle or CLEAN OF the snowy skirts vas
visible, and the falling has been as noise
less and graceful as butterlys dip and
swoop down TO the heart of rose. Then,
with supple grace and quick, agile
spring. she was on her feet in a second
In this way-sideways. you see" and
with dip and curve and sweep of the
lace draperies. down she hoate0 as swift
and noiseless as swallows downward
sweep, and she lay apparently hfeless,
with her face hidden. Another little
spring and she foated backward into
chair so limp and faint that even the
smile on her lips hardly treasured you
that it wasn't an actual sudden faintress.
1--WE are taught in the schools. and
practice on rug at home first, you know;
and Of course we get many bruises while
learning. We fail first to the knee ard
then to the hip. the shoulder, and down.
OF course we do this very .lowiy at first
and awkwardly, bat we do II over and
over again until one fall blends into the
other SO completely that you cannot dis
tinguish it. Oh yes, it is hard al first,
but all there is To it is TO take all the
viii out of your body and collapse. Make
your muscles involuntary and inspired
with the part you are playing, so that at
the proper time you viii fall almost un-
consciously, and then you won't be hurt
Our prompter tainted the other night,
aad fell and hurt himself very badly.
Now, | could fail in faint hundred
times and not be hurt-you sec my fan Is
an unconsciously mechanical action You
20 into familiar room in the dark ard
Your body viii unconsciously take the
right direction TO avoid coming IN con
tact with the objects IN the room, so Iay
body takes the mechanical curve and
poise requisite to avoid hurt without
my thinking anything about it If make
myself perfectly inert-give myself al
up, you know.
Il have been hurt several times. Those
old fashioned sloping stages were treach-
erous affairs. and very often when play
ing on an unfamiliar stage wo were hurt.
remember going down bang on ny nose
once-alnost broke it. Everything was
dark for q minute, and then there flashed
out all the consultations known TO man.
aud several more that haven't been dis
covered, but | went on with my part and
no one knew. Then bad another fau
that made my hip black ell over-thought
that would never get well. for bad 70
fan on 1t every night, 10 matter how II
hurt
Are we afraid Of being hurtf Oh, 10.
We are constantly il danger. treat heavy
things are hanging over our heads that
If some stage carpenter shall biuDder OF
some piece Of machinery break, would
come down end make short work Of Us.
had q heavy iron bar fail NOT four inches
from my face once. and q man cut ny
forehead with dagger, and other peoph
have accidents. but We don't think any
thing about them after Il 10 over. Lis
nervous people on shipbosrd fancy befor'
they sail that they are going 70 think Of
their danger all the time, but two days
out they viii forget al their fear and FED
as safe es on land. So we throw cur
selves down on the boarcs add rcu Ct
sofas and down terraces and out OF chairs
knowing we might break our bones. bet
never thinking Of f. No ons ever do
such fesrfully dangerous thing as Rs'
Miss Fetter. though Il seemed strang'
the papers didn't speak Of d before. Tor y
Jest seemed cruei for h<S 30 epdAngsr hc'
her hssish ard even her Ess Just TO raAks
CHG more fanny pGint IA tho pl>y.
Men cay sometimes THAI women fa[
more easily and bghtfy than they them
selves THIS may bc true. far women sxs
supple, Ithe ard elastic sid not 90 tail
for tie f&ll Is Just ~ rse>tsauseL Feopts
only watch TIE pretty curves and Rssoe
ful sweep u ~oraaus trapery, sod 6c
not see Tho r1earseSnal ssssdisd aceipc
unis-neaxhL We eoas Anzn v9y grace
fulsy. but tia floating is donc - SEGA
ra.eiy 80 pr,hsern n g-ors~t<J. View