Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-06-05
DRSEREf EVENING NEWS
THE AMERICAN STAGE.
ACTOR CHARLES wALcoT MAKES
GLOOMY PROPHECIES FOB
ITS FUTURE.

Charles Walcot, the leading man
Of the Lyceum theatre, and one Of
the bess known actors in this coun-
try, takes n rather gloomy view Of
the future Of the American stage.
Speaking upon this subject yester-
day he said: 1--WE have no dramatic
school in this country at the present
time. True, We have what is called
the Lyceum School Of the Dramatic
Art, in which ] have been instruc-
tor, and Dion BOucicault, at the
Madison Square theatre, has lot
Of high charged pupils under him,
one Of whom, a member Of the Van.
derbilt family, hear is TO make a
public appearance, but the only dra-
matte colleges before the footlights,
and under our present methods and
conditions even the stage today does
not furnish education to the vOtaries
OF Thespis. Men OF women who play
but one part night after night can
not learn even the rudiments of
dramatic art.
ssWhen Shook and Palmer and
Collier had the Union Square The
atre l played under their manage
ment in New York and ON the road,
the leaiing part in Bronson How
arts COMEDY, The Bankers Daugh-
ter, 3" for three years, appearing in II
$50 times. IL was what is known il
technical slang as ''fat' part, aud
liked il exceedingly. At tine con-
clusiOn Of the Tooth performance /
began TO believe that the part was
lad; when | reached the 5ODth pres
entatiOn imagined that a continu-
ance OF the ordeal would drive me
crazy, and when 500 was the figure
upon the programme 1 was entirely
indifferent as TO whether lived or
died. Ii is a remarkable fact that
even after | had played the part for
over two years, # any one in the
course ola day asked me 10 repeat
certain lines which | delivered in
the comedy, Indicating what they
were, | was unable TO 10 50. / could
not recall a line. Yet ut night
could so on the stage and never
miss word. Why? Ihad become
SIMPLY 4 machine, an autOmatOn.
was apparently wound up once a
day, anu the spring which started
my movements was not pressed I'M
til the curtain rose. At the present
time ] have a similar experience in
the play Of The Charity Ball"
have only ten lines To deliver, and
yet II / were asked now what they
are / could net repeat one OF them.
But / VIII 60 ON the stage tonight,
get my cue, and the talking machine
which | baye become will DO it,
work.
How different it all was years
ago. was leading man At the
Walnut Street theatre, In Philadei
phia, from 1865 to 1879, and upon
that stage We had what was really
school OF acting. We thought moth
ing Of producing a different Shak-
spartan play every night Of the
week and following it with a farce
or comedy. ] remember upon the
occasion Of n benefit given my wife,
we produced in one evening the
''Heir at Law" the ''OctOrOOn,o
and "Dam0n aud Pythias, any one
Of which now constitutes full
evenings performance. We lifted
the curtain al O'Clock and II des-
crnded at midnight, for had we
been one minute later We would
have been fined $500. II notice
was placarded tonight in the stage
entrance Of the LyCeum theatre CIV
ing the cast for each Of six plays Of
Shakespeare, all Of them to he pro-
duced next week, every member Of
the company excepting probably
William LeMoyne and myself won. "a
leave the theatre and never re-
turn.
Sin the days Ofthe old stock COM
panies il was considered n very Orii-
nary and natural thing for an actor
and actress TO bc thoroughly CONVEX
SAINT with all the standard parts. III
a young man had any ambition to
become all actor he went into "A stock
company and began with atwO line
part and gradually worked his way
up. In that. way ! educated Otis
Skinner, now Edwin Booths lead |
irg man, and one Of the best actors
that We have; and also John Mason,
leading man OF the Boston Museum.
Nowadays, however, when 4 man |
has been properly coached for one
part only he appears upon the stage,
acquits himself creditably, and is 1 |
once paTaded before The world as san |
actor" and yet he has not learnt d |
the primer Of his profession. What |
will be the eventual outcome of the
present system? l don't know. 4
ling generation will have TO
solve that problem. ''-T0peEa (Rg,l-
sqs Oity) CGlidL.