Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1890-12-27
AT the ONE NIGHT STANDS.
Actor w. .. Ilorence Gives some of His
Exne erirnceM ~ lhr Ihnans.r Ihnnfrra-

Actor w. .. IloreHee Gives some Of His
Experiences at sh- Cheaper Theatres.
TIE one night stand II commonly made
In theatre owned and managed by some
fairly successful bill poster or alderman
or real estate speculator, who knows as
much about play house and tire way IL |
ought 10 lie run as | know about the
Sanskrit originals Of MIR. Arnold = poems
A good many Of these theatres are on
upper floors above shops aud offices |
They are approached by flights of narrow
and winding stairs. and never 90 out Of |
one without thanking my stars that there |
has been no fire or panic during the |
night Queer things hap,en in these mp
stairs places once ia while. John Nc
Cullough was PLAYING Hamlet" in a the
atre OF this sort some Years ago. just
beneath the stage was a furnace. attached
TO bakery or something of that kind.
believe. aud when the trap was opened
for the grave digger to get in, gush of
hot air came up that was stitling. The
curtain went up. and YOU can wage
i that the grave digger made lively time
/ getting that pit ready for Ophelia. Ths
sweat poured from the poor man in
streams. and he piped his little song and
there with q Jump. When the queen
came 10 scatter flowers on Ophelia's cof-
fin the hot air caught them up and
waited them into the flies, for they were
made Of tissue paper. The curtain cut
off that scene with roar from the audi.
ence.
In these cheaper theatres the manager
does not attend to business, but lets the
l..
need in the way OF properties you must
beg, borrow. or buy, for he cannot be
looked to, or, at least. relied on, to fur
nish a sofa, fire screen, or pitcher Of
water. The only time that he is punctual
Is when the business man is counting up
receipts. The ''stage" in these theatres
Is usually small, the scenery bad, the
picked up orchestra set your teeth on
edge the programmes are cheaply printed
and full of errors; lighting. heating, ven
tilation and cleaning are subjects that the
proprietor has not brought himself to
consider, and YOU begin your nights
, work under most discouaging circum-
stances. You change your clothes in a
perfect sty Of dressing room, with cold
air whistling through partitions of un-
painted boards; YOU wash ia a battered
tin basin; you make up" with a light
on onlv one side of your face and there
is no lock on YOUR door. Then you 20 TO
your hntel-and there's another precious
circumstance
, Hotel life in cities. as rule, Is not
! bad. especially ii you have your pick OF
rooms and name your hours for meals.
! but YOU should see some Of the hotels out
,, west, and. worse still, down south. To
! all appearances they ARE comfortable and
clean, and glimpse Of the dining room,
with white cloths and porcelain and black
walters in place is like q promise Of
; merry sunshine but wait until your ain
!. ner comes hog. hnminy, hog water,
, hog. dry bread, then more hog. Every.
! thing swinls In pork fat. and the cook
throws in sand and cinders by way OF
seasoning. A troupe that struck town
in Georgia one day when the regular
dinner WAS over could not gct "A blessed
thing 10 eat but bacon--no eggs, vcgeta-
bles bread, butter, coffee. milk or tea
just fried bacon The star of the troupe
glared over the table and went away,
followed by the rest. and bought some
crackers in a grocery.
Then there are the hours. You get
; through Your play at II. go TO Your hotel.
: rise at or 10 catch train for your
next stand. get there at noon, have
something 10 eat, skirmish around for
properties. perhaps rehearse, eat your
dinner. 20 10 the theatre and act and
! often have To take your next train di-
rectly after the performance. But there
from these grumblings one might fancy
an actors life to be all shadow and no
sunshine. | have not dwelt ON the pleas
ures of the life because they are more ap.
parent, and everybody knows them the
; kindly appreciation of tine public, tho
good words one has from press and peo.
! pie, the odd and interesting sights and
adventures one meets in travelling. the
information that even the dullest picks
: up when he knocks around the world foI
some years. tin, friends une makes and the
intervals of ease and comfort that come
: when an actor has established his reputss
e ton and his play has become popular
An actors life. like most men $ lives. has
= more pleasure than pain it.-M. j. Flor.
!. ence in New York World