Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-01
ONE NIGHT STANDS.
A Woman Is in Luck if She Has Any
Beauty Left After a Season.
THESpIANs FARE LIKE ANIMALS.
4 eer1es Of Nightmares From Pretty
Brunette's Experience.
ROUGH USAGE ON THE LONG JUMPS
rcosREsroSpExcE OF THE DISPATCH. ,

ROUGH USAGE ON THE LONG JUMPS
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE D1sPATcH.l
NEW YORK, Oct. 31-"The thousands OF
theatrical people who roam all over the
country every year playing one night
stands" said Miss Belle Hartz, of the
Broadway Theater, ''see more of the world
and have greater variety of experience
than any other class Of people--ths COM
mercial drummer not excepted"
Miss Hartz, who is now in the Broadway
chorus and understudy for Marie Jansen,
has recently had some experience on the
road. She is youthful brunette of petite
figure, abundant hair, large brown eyes
with well arched brows. She is quite
clever and vivacious, and her story of the
road shows that she is close.observer.
"The first week on the road with a new
company and a new play is always very
trying one, both from q managerial and pro-
fessional point of view. The managers, you
know, are necessarily anxious to see how
the play is received and the people of the
company are quite as so1icitous to make
good impression in their respective parts.
OUT WITH FARCE COMEDY.
''The farce comedy company with which
I was recently connected was made up in
New York, where nearly all such compe-
nies are organized. We were rehearsed
here very carefully, and began on one night
stands up in the interior. Do you kn W
what one night stands mean? 1t means the
hardesf work that professional has to per-
form We arri led in the town where we
were first played Sundsy, and Sunday night
at the theater we had our first dresa re-
hearsal. The theater was reached on the
second floor by sort of a staging designed
for animals-such stair as you may see
leading to the second story of livery
stable, with cleats nailed down on solid
planking.
'It was called an opera house, of course
There were no stairs to the dressing room
beyond similar planking, which could be
ascended only because of the cleats con-
structed for the accommodation of four
footed animals. Two Of us had q little
three-cornered dressing room, with no win
dow and no ventilation whatever, except
what was to be had through the open door.
There were two chairs in it, and the wash
bowl occupied one of these.
TOOK TURNS AT THE WASH BOWL
NJ had to put the wash bowl on tho floor
lady who was assigned to the same room
with me was accompanied by her mother,
who naturally wanted to give her daughter
q good send of the first night. With the
three of us in that room one had to dress
behind the door while the other sat on q
trunk and waited her turn at the wash
bowl
Sowing to miscarriage Of instructions
some of the girls made up and some did not.
The result on the stage was necessarily
funny. The theatrical trunk of one girl
had been sent to the hotel and the hotel
trunk had been delivered at the theater.
Each actress usually has two trunks in
such company, one containing her every
day street clothes, the other her theatrical
wardrobe. The former is delivered at her
hotel and the latter sent direct to the theater,
whence it is again taken after the play to
the railroad station. If you don't h. ppen
to know what hotel you are going to stop
at the question of baggage is q very annoy
ing one.
ONE OF THE LONG JUMPS
'The worst part of playing one night
stands is the long jumps, Take one for in
stance from Fort Wayne, Ind, to Duluth,
Wayne against circus and of course with
. poor house. Indiana people wouldn't go
to see Edwin Booth if there was circus
anywhere within reach in the same night
We had to get the Chicago train at A. NJ,
and the theater was a mile away from the
station. I encountered lot of circus
wagons and animals just starting out in pro-
cession for an adjoining town. We didn't
have to walk and in that respect we were
ahead of the animals. Not much. however,
for the sleeping cars were crowded and We
had to take an ordinary day coach.
sour musical director gave couple of US
his overcoat and judicious quarter or two
brought couple of pillows from the sleeper
to the profit of the porter. We got into
Chicago about seven o'clock in the mornir ?,
scrambled into busses that were waiting for
rs and were rushed over to the Wisconsin
Central Railway station. There we made
combined attack upon lunch counter-by
hat time as hungry as lot of wolves. The
had not yet opened.
TREATED JUST LIKE EMIGRANrs.
"The next thing we were taken like drove
If emigrants to the agents Office and re- |
Iuired to sign blanks filled out with our |
lges, color of our eyes, the kind Of hair We
1ad, height and so on. This was to identify |
is as holders of round-trip excursion tickets
We found very good hotel in Duluth,
With plenty to eat we'll cooked. As for my
elt had to 60 out and get some gasoline to
,lean my clothes and it was pouring rain.
We got ready for the theater in time and
played that night in lovely theater and to
good house.
7'Some of these jumps were terribly wear
ng, but one gets used to it and don't mind
t much. Usually we had no sleeping
,erths unless we got them ourselves, though
.fter while polite male member Of our
company did wonders for us in that line.
1t Dubuque the horse car late at night ran
,ut every 20 minutes and missed the con-
lection and had to take cab, the five
learly broke my heart to give up that dol
ar through my own carelessness-not to
MENTION my pocketbook.
THE MEN FARE THE BETTER
'"The male members of the company usu-
lily have pretty good time on the road.
They can 60 to the smoker and play cards
nd smoke, and get off at the stations and
Jet drink if they desire to. Poker at
O-cent limit is usually exciting enough to
,eep man awake. We could always tell
Who came out ahead the next day by the
iberality of the winner toward the ladies,
While the losers would be borrowing %
ents and 80 cents here and there until they
made another strike. When they began to
'ay up you could see that they had been in
etter luck
'"The actors usually walk to their hotels
rom the train for the exercise, but the
aides, OF course, have to stand car and cab
are. Sometimes on the road member
7ould buy basket Of peaches d every
ody would be eating peaches, Tipping
each stones and throwing skins on the
oor for the next hour. As rule the
aides of a travelling theatrical company are
ute exclusive and do not enter into sud-
on init ooia nh oth |