The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-06-26
THE AMERICAN STAGE.
Actor Charles WaIcot Makes Gloomy
Prophesies for It's Future.

Especial Correspondence
New YORK, May 26-Charles Walcot,
the leading man of the Lyceum theatre,
and one of the best and best known actors
in this country, takes a rather gloomy
view of the future of the American stage.
Speaking upon this subject yesterday he
said: I'VE have no dramatic school in this
country at the present time. True, we have
what is called the Lyceum School of Ora
matte Art, in which have been instructor,
and Dion Boucicault, at the Madison
Square theatre, has lot of high charged
pupils under him, one Of whom, a member
Of the Vanderbilt family, hear is to make
a public appearance, but the only dramatic
college is before the foothghts, and under
our present methods and conditions even
the stage today does not furnish education
TO the votaries of Thespis. Men or women
who play but one part night after night
cannot learn even the rudments of drs-
matte art.
when Shook and Palmer and Collier
had the Union Square theatre l played I'M
der their management in New York and
on the road, the leading part in Bronson
Towards comedy, ''The Bankers Daugh-
ter for three years, appearing in it 500
slang as "fat" part. and | liked it exceed
ingly. At the conclusion of the Tooth per
Torrance began to believe that the part
was bad; when | reached the 50Oth presenta-
ton imagined that continuance of tbs
ordeal would drive me crazy, and when
800 was the figure upon the programme
was entirely indifferent as to whether
lived or died. 1t is a remarkable fact that,
hoG
two years, if any one in the course of day
asked me to repeat certain lines which
delivered in the comedy. indicating what
they were, l was unable to do so. l could
not recall line. Yet at nightI could go
on the stage and never miss a word. Why'
had become simply a machine, an au.
tomaton. l was apparently wound up once
a day, and the spring which started my
movements was not pressed until the cur
tain rose. At the present time l have a
similar experience in the play of "The
Charity Ball" have only ten lines to de-
liver, and yet if / were asked now what
they are l could not repeat one Of them.
But will go on the stage tonight, get my
cue, and the talking machine, which
have become, will do It's work.
How different it all was years ago. l
was leading man at the Walnut Street
theatre, in Philadelphia, from 1866 to 1879,
and upon that stage we had what was real
ly a school of acting. We thought nothing
of producing a different Shakespearean
play every night of the week and following
il with farce or comedy. l remember,
upon the occasion of a benefit given my
wife, we produced in one evening the
Heir at Law" the "Octoroon" and "Da-
mon and Pythias,' any one of which now
constitutes full evenings performance
We lifted the curtain at o'clock and it
descended at midnight, for had we been
one minute later we would have been fined
$500 If q notice was placarded tonight in
the stage entrance of the Lyceum theatre
giving the cast for each Of six plays Of
Shakespeare, all of them to be produced
next week, every member Of the company
excepting probably William LeMoyne and
myself, would leave the theatre and never
return.
I'm the days of the old stock companies
it was considered very ordinary and nat
ural thing for an actor and actress to be
thoroughly Conversant with all the stand
ard parts. If a young man had any am
bition to become an actor he went into
stock company and began with two line
part and gradually worked his way up. In
that way l educated Otis Skinner, now Ed
win Booths leading man, and one Of the
best actors that we have; and also John
Mason, leading man of the Boston Museum.
Nowadays, however, when a man has been
properly coached for one part only he ap-
pears upon the stage, acquits himself cred
itably, and is at on0e paFaded before the
world as AN actor and yet he has not
learned the primer Of his profession What
will be the eventual outcome Of the preseut
system? l don't know. A succeeding gen.
Grafton viii have to solve that problem"
LOUIS n. MEGARaEE.