The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1890-12-25
WHOLE NO. 34S
Stage Experience.

Prot LeClair, director OF the Cho.
raj, several evenings age related to a
member OF that organization some Of
his stage experiences, and in the
course of the conversation very effect.
ually disabused his listener OF many
preoonceived ideas. According to
him life on the stage is anything but
a holiday. The members Of the com.
panies which are contin ially on the
road, stopping but ole night at q
place, are forced to adopt the most
irregular habits, catching trains at all
hours Of the night and day, eating
whenever they end time, and freqent.
Ily performing in Opera Houses
gloomy as . barn and cold as ice.
Even those companies which stop
several nights, or even weeks, at one
place, exact a full share Of each mem.
bers time. Every one must attend
daily rehearsals in full costume, and
any omission or slip is without fail
placed in the balance against the neg.
ligent or unlucky actor.
No one should form his ideas al 10
the average salaries received from
those demanded by the "Stars" Gen.
orally operating the remuneration is
small, and many for the sake Of eI.
perience accompany troup a whole
season without cent OF compensa.
ton. Atthe end OF this period they
are on some slight pretext dismissed
and their places supplied with novices
Of the same kind.
One Of the Professors New York
pupils, a milliner's apprentice, con.
ceived the idea that nature had in.
tended her for an operate star, and
determined to appear be ore the foot.
lights. Eer friends demonstrated,
urging the many discomforts she
would have to endure, and the young
man who amused himself by sitting
whole evenings on her door step ad.
ded mis- serious protect, though per-
haps from somewhat selfish motives.
Even the Professor at last told her
candidly that her voice, while we'll
worth cultivating for its own sake,
was yet not OF sufficient merit 10 at,
tract the least attention on the stage,
But she persisted in her preparations
and did appear before the iootlights.
The result is that she is now a first
class milliner, and her operatic airs
have given place to ballards. In one
month she saw enough opera to fully
sati sly her ambition and prefers to
see it now from the other side of the
footligh's.
The Professor has witnessed many
amusing incidents on the stage and
has himself occasionly been the built
Of good joke. In one of the scenes
of the) opera. "Der Freiscuhtx," he
used to be killed nightly before de-
lighted audiences-delighted, because
he took one of the evil characters OF
the play and his death hsstened the
happy Econsummation Of the plat.
Upon his death the chorurs would
kneel about him and sing prayer Of
gratitude, to the last strain Of which
he would give salemDity by adding Il
deep bass note, being careful not 10
betray to the audience from whom it
came. The note was a "lower c."
reached by but few and then only
under favorable circumstances, and it
may be readily imagined that: lying
at full length on his side with his back
to the audience, it was extremely dii-
, ficult for dead man to reach at all
On one occasion, the first night Of the
rendition OF the opera under new
manager, who sat conveniently in one
Of the boxes making observations, the
, Professor was particularly anxious tc
distinguish himself by producing 8
full round &C." But with all his ef
torts he could not quite make it
Forgetting his position he turned hi
J head over his shoulder to see how The
/, manager took his failure, at the same
: time emitting kind Of sepulchel
groan. Several Of he chorus tried il
s vain to repress their laughter, thu
V contagion spre"d, even the dead maj
< joining, and soon the entire hous
). greeted WITH loud peals what was in
: tended Nh the most impressive seen
! Il, tl,a npuru