The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-04-16
CHILDREN FOR THE pANroMIMg.
A Great Deal of Careful, Persistent
Training NecessAry-At Drill
Ilfnnl MnrLlal

A Great Deal of Careful, Persistent
Training Necessary-At Drill
Good wordsl
Long, patient, persevering rehearsals
are Indispensable. The rehearsal begins
four TO five weeSs before Christmas. and
for this period the children get no re-
Enumeration. They require 70 attend
every afternoon and evening for three
or four hours, but except for a night or
two Immediately preceding the opening
performance they are not kept beyond )
clock. on one of these nights
learned with cegret they had been kept
night and morning throughout.
With 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
and artistlcally manipulated, and &C
CURED 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
When so classified special training Is re-
quired to suit them for the individual
characters they are to represent.
one group at a time, like a class IN a
school, is taken III baud 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
be learned and practiced. The charity
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 ranting, rowing melody
peculiar to merry, merry fat boys.
All this, it will DO seen, can not be !
perfected without great deal of careful, |
which we visited duEing the rehearsal /
the chief feature was the drill, and it !
was perfectly amazing to see the beauti-
full and intricate figures the children de-
scrbed as they marched and inter-
marched and cOuntermaTched and adj
vanced and retire !, 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 |
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 melodious refrain
which rythmically harmonised with
their tiukling musical strokes, afford
ing altogether a novel and interesting
spectacle. The dresses and costumes
are not worn at the rehearsals, and
only so much of the paraphernalia in
as may be found necessary for
proper initiation and instruction.