The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-06-14
A NEW OCCUPATION,
Mrs. Fernandez the First Woman
Dramatic Agent.
The Difficulty She Had in Securing Recogni-
tion by the Prof.ssion-Her Pretty
Home at New Rochelle.
Special to THE MORNING CALL.

The papers have been making some little
stir lately over the announcement that two
! ladies have gone into business as dramatic
| agents In London. In point of fact, the
| first woman scout to reconnoiter this novel
| business and capture its outpOsts is not a
| subject of Queen Victoria but an everyday
| American, who opened her office three
| years ago, and is doing to-day highly sue
| cessful business as dramatic agent in New
| York City.
| She is an interesting person on whom to
| call just at this season when all the player
| folk are returning to the "Rialto." Her
walls are covered with photographs of
| actors and actresses, and one makes an ex-
| haustive study OF poses and shippers more
| or less successful and attractive, while a
star" who wants an ingenue for the sum-
| mer season, completes his negotiations,
| He is pockmarked and mild hammered and
! would hardly capture maiden's fancy on
| close view.
He is talking with woman who sits at a
| desk wherein are more photographs. There
| is pug dog at her feet aud files of dramatic
| papers lie around. There is a waste basket,
| but it is small and lined with something
| soft in pink and blue. The waste baske
| and r rOcking-chair are the only touches
| diStinctively feminine
The woman who owns the waste basket
| has very pleasant face and manners that
| are direct and straightforward. She is in
| clined to be stout and, il you are at all
given to slang, you set her down in your
mind as good fellow"
Well" concludes the star, 1.-The girls
| both say they can do the part and you say
they can, so guess I'll take the first one,
she's the best looking"
There is woman who is anxious to know
| II she is going TO secure an engagement and
| who is comforted by being told that the
| manager has set his heart on an actress
| whom he can't get and that he will prob
| ably come back for her. There is char
| acter actor who asks if there is anything in
| his line and laughs when told quite en-
| famllle that the agent is not in the menag-
| erie way. There are all sorts and conditions
| OF people, and one has added good deal to
| ones knowledge of human nature by the
| time Mrs. Fernandez is ready to answer a
| question as to how she came to enter a
| business followed by no other woman in the
| country.
| Mrs Fernandez is the mother of Bijou
| Fernandez, one OF the best known of tn Q
| child actresses and member of the Daily
| Company. She was herself formerly an
| actress OF some prominence, and after her
| marriage and retirement from the stage
| Travelled for year or two with the COM
| panies in which her little daughter was
| playing, and finally undertook the task of
| training children for the stage. relieving
managers of the sometimes difficult task of
| dealing with horde Of mothers, each con-
| fdent of the gifts of her own particular
! prodigy. The little Leslie and the too rap
! idly growing Russell boy and Gertie Ho-
| man and the rest OF the sometime popular
| but now scoffed-at Fauntleroys had her for
| their dramatic godmother
From managing children Mrs. Fernandez
M god n fIn 90 q III al pt irn, q
| agent about three years ago, not without
| considerable opposition. Every body" she
| says, Laughed Mt me, even my own nus
| band; it is so hald to believe in the pos
sibility of success for woman in ANYTHING
| absolutely new.
Managers wouldn't deal with me, for
they had no faith in the executive ability Of
a woman. One manager who was my per-
sonal friend said he hoped might succeed,
but be would never give me his business,
for he didn't consider it proper occupation.
Actors wouldn't register with me, for they
said: Fernandez? She handles kids, doesn't
SheP Even when manager came to me
l had no people OF any consequence to offer
him, and when l knew good actor or
actress likely to suit him was disengaCed |
had to write in the most humble sort of
way, fairly apologiZing for offering to con-
tract with person not on my books. In
this way | worked under every sort of dis
advantage, and many times was on the
point of giving up the struggle. Daniel
Frohman was the only man who stood by
me. After he took the Lyeeum Theater, If
man applied to him for part he'd say Il
don't want anybody at present, but are YOU
registered with Mrs. Fernandez? No?
Well, you give her your name and If need
my people through her. He gave me all
his business, and the fact that he did SO
became known. Then actors always ask
man who's got an engagement how he got
ii, and after | had negotiated few good
contracts they began to say: All! Fernan-
deZ; she must amount to something.
ut was hard fight and | wouldn't ad-
wise another woman to undertake it. If
had been wholly dependent on my own ex-
ertIons must have succumbed, but l won,
and now l am doing, | think, the largest
business of any New York agencv,''
How do you account for your final sue
cess?"
my stage experience counted. / was
courteous to actors. | could remember in
my own DAYS in the profession going no an
agents staircase with my heart in my
mouth, and feeling like a dog about to be
whipped at thought of the treatment was
sure to receive. The man wouldn't put
down his newspaper nor pay you the slight
Of menial."
And how did you concilate the man.
agers?"
That was my second point. had no
favorltes. Some agents send a manager the
actor or actress they like, not the one who
Is best suited to the part or the company.
Now, have some very dear friends whom
| should like Of all things to see in good
positions, but l have taught myself not to
recognize friendship in business"
Did the women managers encourage
you?"
j." Practically there aren't any. Oh, YES.
know Miss ODER used to manage the Bos,
ton ideals and D'Oyly Carte's wife man
aged his productions before their marriage.
and there have been first and last num-
Der OF such instances, but just at present
except for Mrs Kimbal, who manages
Corinne, there is hardly one."
Mrs. Fernandez, it may be said. made
money enough last year to buy pretty
place at New Rochelle, joiningethe colony
| OF 20O or more stage people who own homes
In that suburb. 1t was an Instance of her
business 5agacty that when Klau 81 En-
LANCER put up their building which is prac-
tically managers exchange she saw at
once the advantage it would be to have
| space at headquarters and, though doubt
| full whether woman could find recogni-
ton, applied at once for office room and
was preferred before all corners, thus get
ting location which of itself went long
| way toward making the success of the novel
| enterprise which has familiarized her name
| all over the country to the dramatic pro-
Iesslon. ELIZA PUTNAM HEATON.