Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-08-04
NEW YORK LETTER.
THE WORLD BEHIND THE sceNES-BY
ONE WHO KNOWS.
Formerly Resort for Men About Town,
But Now a Place of Business-hceper
white on the Health of the
Morguc.


But Now a Place of Business-Kceper
white on the Health Of the
Morgue.
Correspondence Of the Richmond Dlspateh.l
NEW YORK. August 3, 1880.
The American people Will apparently
never outgrOw its pet delusions about that
part Of theatre which is known a. be-
bind the scenes" And these decisions
are many. Some people. whose ideas are
derived from reading old books, fancy that
the concealed portions Of the stage are
fitted up in regal splendor and crowded
with the well dressed admirers OF foot
light favorites. Others, and these belong
10 that sanctimonious class TO whom
the theatre is dndtt,ul1 nadrGIidihd, be
lieve il 10 be an awful place. whore
orgy and rot prevail increasingly.
Others again imagine that 1t IS
sort Of home where there - any
amount Of ease and comfort. All OF these
opinions have some basis. Long ago actor
and manager We'd with each other IN
making behind the scenes headquar-
tiers for men about town. The practice IS
extinct il all hrst-class American and Eng
lish places Of amusement, but prevails 10
a great extent upon the continent and
especially ia France. IN many variety
houses, particularly those where the
income from selling beer, whiskey, and
cigars is larger than That from adHis-
siOns. il still exists. Behind this are
those establishments. which though styled
theatres. are nothing more or less than
drinking-salOous, in which the performers
are bartenders. walters. or advertising
agents for the management. These are an
| insult TO the profession, and should bepro-
hibited by law.
Among frst-class houses There Is very
| little difference IN the management OF tue
stage and tho conduct Of players and the
atrical employees. One rule Is now unlver-
sally followed. and 1t is that thcatre-keep-
ing isa business to be run on purely ousi-
ness principles.
TIE MANAGFR's sTAMP.
There is a great difference, however. in
| manners depending partly upon the per-
formers but chiefly upon the manager.
Where the latter rs gentleman and
strict disciplinaraE the behavior OF the
people behind the scenes Will be marked
by perfect order and courtesy. Where, on
the other hand, TIE ia vulgar. noisy. or pro
| fame. his suLordnatcs improve upon tie
example set thcm, and bat roo often con.
vert their house into worthy rival u
Billingsgate No better illustration Of
! the one type can lc found than In such
houses as Daly's, PalmeTs s. and trohuan's
where the average breeding is equal % that
in any paIl0r of the metropolis. Somarked
j. this characteristic that such places are
practically schools Of good manners. whore
The unpublished country girl and the halt
I bred city youth are rapidly educated
into the lady and the gentleman. Three
actresses of the highest standing We
could maine. who are models of department
and social grace, began their career upon
the boards without ever having worn
traln-drcss or having seen q sct-dlnnef
This element of fine manners has high pc
cuniary value People must see good
breeding u the plays thcy witness. For
this reason every thoughtful manager in
sists that bis stage director. lnS orchestra
leader. his door-kccrcr and las cai!-hoys
/ shall employ TIE same urpaniiy when on
duty that he does himself.
STRICT RuLFs.
Discipline behind the scenes approaches
that of military life. In the lniou-Squarc
Theatre the system is very simple, but y
carried out with the strictc-t precision. In
the first place. no outsider 3, allowed be-
hind the scenes. Besides being in the way
az critical moments they disturb the attcn-
tiOu of the players. and so TO slight extent
iniurc the finish of the play.
~ the second place every one employed
must be at his post. The fireman BIAS bis
place 10 stand in and his route 10 cover
The sconc-shiftcrs must be on hand and do
their work at the very second. The gas
engineer must be al his switchboard be-
fore the house opens and remain there un-
I'll the audience has gone home. The
actors and actresses must be in thcirrOoms
dressed and ready to 90 on before the
curtain rises. They are summoned
with an electric cali-beU 10y the
promptcr. when their scene is over or
when the curtain falls upon m net they
return 10 their rooms until again summon
ed. Upon this basis IL IS easily seen that
there can be no cr0Nding at the side en-
frances and none Of che conversation and
fooling which was once SO common among
PLAYERS and stage hands. 50 far has this
tendency gone that many managers have
cniOincd the handing Of baskets OF tower7
and other floral tributes Overtime iOotlcht7
10 the stage and compel the glyers 10 send
them around to the stage door for de-
livery.
GOOD RESULTS.
The result of thi. discipline is not only
the better act ing and setting Of plays. tut
also considerable saving IN time and
trouble. Tho bctweep-acts are shorter
the movement of the drama is quicker
and hriskcr, and the probability of acci-
don't or mistake greatly lcsscucd. Taken
al ogcthcr the profession prefers tins
order of things - that which formerly
obtained, when players and stage hands
cha1cd one another snapped stories, ani
did lust what they pleased while the play
was going ON q few feet away. On one
occasion, not 80 many years ago. when
some lurid mcl0drama held the boards. al
the same moment behind the scenes two
actors were boxing. two actresses dancing
iigs. and half dozen telling Jokes over
huge pail of beer tor which they had sent
cut. Such scenes are an llnpossibillty to-
day.
There are many, nevertheless, who re-
sent all innovation and regard every novel
" as "a sign of deterioration. Sometimes
they are not very far from right.
"DtMN MODERN SOCIETY"
At one time William Dayidge. the great
comedian. was PLAYING part wherein n
fell 10 his lot 10 visit an editor Tor the pur-
pose of obtaining satisfaction. lie ran Oh
the stage and made quick change by
covering his nose and chm with make-bc-
lievc blood. blackcuinS one eye, subst-
tutinC for his handsome coat one OF shreds
and converting ms ncckue and collar into
10 hard knot. When he returned IN mo-
ment and sorrowiully informed the audi
euce that he had seen the editor. 1t brought
down the house. On the occasion I'm qucs-
tion he came TO me when be- came back
from before the curtain, 10 which he had
ittn lWltt ttllfits dll'l Ntlln 0i'N ~ -4i'
is what modern society calls high art
Damn modern socity.
SOCIAL PHASES.
Despite the discipline Of the present day
there are still left some pleasant social
phases. Nearly all of our great stars are
very sociable and nightly use their dress
ing-rOOms as parlors for intimate friends.
Such brilliant players as Frank Mayo,
Maurice Barrymore. and Steele Alackaye
draw men Of the same stamp around them.
IL is no surprising thing, therefore, TO find
in their dressing-rOoms the leading wits,
poets. playwrishts, and players of the land.
and TO hear conversations which, however
interrupted 10y the continuous disappear
mccs, are always q treat 10 the lovers OF
intellectually. Women as rule care
little or nothing for such pleasures, and in
stead of entertaining outsiders pass their
leisure moments knitting, crOchetlng, en-
bordering. sewing, reading, or talking with
the fcllow-members Of their company.
OF the treatment of actors 10y one an
other but little is TO be said. A company
is very much like a family. SO necessarily
intimate ara he rel0fious of It's members