Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-27
SCORES THE AGENTS.
A Soubrette Throws a Little Light on
Tricks Of the Trade.
MANAGERS DECEIVE AND TRIFLE.
No Matter How Capable the Artist She
Must Hustle for Place.
STORY OF A PENNSYLVANIA GIRL
lcoRREspoNpENcE OF THE DISPATCH.


sylvania girl. She was petite, rosy-cheeked,
short-haired, bIue-eyed and 1.-THE of limb.
Her retrousse nose. set at convenient angle,
shifted at the rest of the world, while her
solid chin meant business. Her costume of
black and white was prononce and displayed
her trim figure to advantage. She had a
swinging gait, sort of boyish swagger.
As far as you conld see her on crowded
upper Broadway you would instinctively
put her down for an actress. The swagger
is the result Of long playing boys parts.
Il played boys parts when I was years
OF age" said she, swapping her tan out with
quick, nervous gesture. She was all snap,
touch-and-go. "When look back to that
time," she continued, "and think of the
ups and downs of travel, of stock and COM
bination, of one night stands, OF jumps
across the continent, or over the sea, OF
nights of singing and dancing, of counter
felt and real grief-why, think I might be
grey and wrinkled."
The shapely head was for a moment laid
half seriously against slender hand, which
enabled me to note that her short hair was
dark and soft and glossy and kicked up its
heels on fair neck yet untouched by time.
AN AMBITION THAT NEVER DIES.
II was born to the stage, as was my father
before me. We always hate what we are
condemned to do, don't we? Yet, I could
not live any other lite and be happy or salts
fed. Even now, after short vacation, I
long for the road with its life of constant
change and activity. I could pack in two
hours for Australia or San Francisco, or
anywhere else, and the short notice would
be an inspiration! My father went on the
stage when he was 9 years of age. His
name was J. A. Coleman. He died six
years ago. aged 46, after an eventful life on
the boards. He was low comedian and
character acter and theatrical manager.
"There were three of us girls; Alice,
Louie and myself-Clara. We were widely
known in our early days, ten years ago, as
the Coleman sisters. We were born all
around the country, in Philadelphia, nv
sister Alice in Lancaster, Pa, and Louie in
Baltimore. So, you see, we were not only
born to the profession but born on the road
Our home, if people connected with the
modernized dramatic profession can be
truthfully said to have home, is at Car
Isle, Pa. My earliest recollection of the
stage is associated with an Iowa town where
my father was playing. l did some fairy
business, being put forward at four years Of
age. Imagine what little tot was NV
sisters were in the same piece. 1t was an
amateur performance, but we attracted so
much attention that father was advised by
his friends to bring US out.
ALWAYS LIKED BOYS PARTS.
MY stage life dates from that period. I
played boys parts even then I remember
I wore little trousers and was called a
chubby little boy. 1 couldn't read or write,
of course. They had to teach me nv parts
just as you'd teach a child his A C's.
Dear me! How sleepy 1 used to get those
nightsl AS soon as 1 went off l would sit
down in the wings and fall fast asleep.
They'd get so scared for fear would lose
my cue. If they woke me up I'd be sure to
do it. When they let me sleep would be
all right. would jump up and rub my
eyes and 90 on with my lines just as ii 1
had been running them over in my childish
slumber.
We had a manager who used to come
over every night to see me sitting there
asleep, just as a child would at home. 1t
was home to me- was very proud of my
performance. They used to say to me:
"Well, little one, what can you do?'
Whereupon I'd flare up and answer that 1
could do my business as well as any of
them. 1t used to make me angry, and they
often did it to plague me, suppose. We
made a hit, playing thus together, and were
great favorites, drawing the best people
family people, you know There were very
starring. "Well, we just kept at it from
that day to this.
The fan now played about the soubrette's
face with lively motion.
NOT A BED OF ROSES.
"Durlng the earlier time our schooling
was such as we could snatch on the road
fro %ad1
in the summer vacations. If any stage
struck young girl could look ahead and see
what we had to go through it wouldn't re-
uuire the intervention of her friends to pre-
vent her going on the stage. For several
seasons we travelled under Harry Miners
management. My father went with us. 1
was then 10 years of age. Under Miner we
had great success. My business then was
little soubrette parts. I introduced my
singing and danclng-little Irish jlgs and
reels-danced in wooden shoes and PLAYED
on the banjo. used to do the juggling act
on the banjo-you've seen that-twisting
They called me the baby with banjo 1
had little banjo just big enough to handle.
Sometimes it was charged that nv banjo
was a dummy, and that the playing was
done behind the scenes, and they used to
watch me sharply.
From Miners we went back under fathers
management in California, and then con-
tracted to visit Australia. But Just at that
time sister Louie died, when the contracts
were annulled, and we retired to our home
in Carlisle, Pa, for a couple of years.
When Alice and returned to the profess |
sion we went with the Berger family, and |
they took us all over the country, and from |
New Orleans we sailed with them for Cuba. |
Our Cuban experiences were the most in
teresting of my stage life, though in some |
respects most disagreeable.
"After our return from Cuba we made a |
similar tour of Texas under fathers manage |
ment-his last. It was also the last trip |
Alice and made together. Since then we |
have been in separate companies playing |
soubrette parts. l went last season with |
Ivy Leaf In the latter played an Irish |
part. You ought to hear my rich brogue ~
Here she laughed as she gave me a speci- |
men of County Mayo.
OBJECTS TO THE MANAGERS STORY.
"Now, I've been reading a recent inter-
view Of yours" said she, swapping the ex-
PITTSBURG DISPATCH. That thing on |
soubrettes, you know. Why don't you print |
the soubrette's side of the case?"
"And what is the soubrette's story2" in
quired.
The dramatic managers and dramatic
agents are the most vexatious set to deal
with of any other people on earth. This
manager says the best soubrettes do not
have to hunt engagements-that managers
are after them. Most OF those he mentioned
as particularly clever are members of his
own companies for the coming season.
Every one of them probably sought engage