The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-06-28
PRIVATE THEATRES.
Rich People Who Have
Them In their Houses
and Parks.
WONDERFUL GARDEN SCENE
Sydney chidley, Scenic Artist Of
MullOne's Opera House, Writes
Of Amateur Enterprise.

tAtOuSHOub ALutElCd, auu Cn6 IaCC G1dG ~
has become an avenue of supply to the
profession, gives some interest to the pri-
vate theatres which various wealthy
lovers Of the drama have erected. Those
efforts are Of two kinds. the one, regu-
larly constructed theatres for indoor per-
formances; the other, outdoor arrange
meuts in private parks for pastoral plays
Of the "As You Like IT. order.
Let us wander through the lovely park
Of John H. Starin ct Fnltonyille, in the
Mohawk Valley. after we have admired
the owners menagerie Of strange wild
beasts.
Presently we come to platform cut in
the hillside, beautifully turfed with vel
vety lawn, walled in by tall trees and high
banks on three sides, and on the fourth
facing trimmed garden, resplendenI
with flowers and cool with rnurmuring
fountains. The platform has q series OF
wings OF neatly clipped lockwood hedges,
ana as we gaze on this pleasant and Ito be
Hibernian) natural theatre artificiaily
made, the woods of Nick Bottom, tue
weaver. rise to our lips
Pat. Pat; and here's marvellous con-
veniept place for our rehearsal This
green plot shah be our stage, this haw-
thorne brake our firing house; and We
will do 1t In actio1.o
That's what Shakespeare makes Ounce
say to Nick Bottom, the weaver The
wealthy and Influential in America and
England are doing much the same thing
in point of fact
Here in this charming spot it Is one OF
the pleasures of the King of Glen Island
to entertain his visitors with pastoral
plays.
This sylvan grove Of Thespis Is a copy
OF q similar one belonging to the late king
of Hanover. But this Is not the theatre
OF which Mr.. Starin and his talented
stage MANAGER anu son-in-law, Howard
Carroll, have most reason to be proud.
The indoor theatre at Fultonville is an
oblong salon large enough to seat about
two hundred aud eighty persons. The
distinctive feature of its decoration is
chaste and beautiful, being inlaid pat
terms Of the different woods of American
growth simply polished. The drop curtain
represents q beautiful view of the Mo-
hawk River, as II surmounted by frame
and white satin draperies, in front of
which latter are represented on one side,
large statuette Of d Mohawk Indian in
war array, aud on the other O Mohawk
squaw with implements of hunting. The
sc-nery is from the studios of the finest
artists of America.
The honors of pastoral plays in the open
air are also sought By Mrs H.
r. Sloan at Lenox, where she has
a
This humble 'shanty" of the Vanderbilt
family is surrounded with beautiful
woods, part of the primeval forest What
of that? say you. just this. Under a
grove of splendid trees. whose ancient
branches meet overhead In natural
canopy of shade, there is a velvety lawn.
At the back and sides the shadowY depths
of the forest, like Shakespeare's s'haw-
thorn brake, are almost sufficient for
dressing rooms. In point of fact it is q
natural playhouse and capital place for
society beauties to display their skill in
acting parts like Fair RosaliDd
AT Coomb House in England there Is
also spot adopted by nature for pas
toral plays and then occasionally some of
the most aristocratic uubend.
These amateur actors eau but call
smile to their faces as they remember the
interlude played in the Midsummer
Nights Dream" where Peter Ounce
was stage manager. Is all our company
here? Best call them generally man BIZ
man according to the scrip. Here is the
scroll of every mans name which is
thought lit through all Athens to PLAY
our interiude before the Duke and
Duchess.
Ali Master Shakespeare Little did
you think of the transformation three
hundred years would make ia the matter
of amateur theatricals 1t is now the
dukes and duchesses of this Republic
your Charles Dickens of the literary
guild who is your leading comedian, and
il is no less d man than Lord LytLon who
thinks il a pleasure to write a play for pri-
vate performers in the same spirit as
Bacon wrote the REBELS" for Queen
Eiizabeth's amusement And then.
what contrast in the dramatis PERSONA,
Listen to Stage Manager Ounce as he
calls out to the motley group, Answer as
/ cali you:--'Nick Bottom. the Weaver:
Francis Flute, Bellows Mender.'n This
last like many modern professors doesn't
like his role, and TO use a slang phrase
"he kicks" because you know, in those
days there were no women on the stage.
Ounce tells him that ..Fluta is 10 plav
the lady that Pyranius must love, +" aud
poor Flute says, let me not play wom-
an. have beard comingM Ounce re-
a mask Again Stage Manager Ounce,
Robert Starveling, the Tailor" Tom
Snug is a meek man, who is call
ed to play the famous lion,
and who is very anxious to know IF the
part is written because he is slow of
study" Stage Manager Ounce gets over
that with smile and says, You scan do
it extempore for its nothing but roaringr'
And SO Oh, and SO on, for we all recol
lect Bottom, the gentleman who figures
with the asses head aud who like so
many luUutEu llOut5t performers WAS
anxious TO play every role in the piece.
Let us now glance at some of the more
remarkable private indoor theatres of the
or d. or those of the late King of
bavaria, on the stages Of which some OF
Wagner's great works were produced, 1t
is almost needless to say that every
device which Insanity and luxury could
SUCCESS was brought to bear ON the per
formances. Nor is it necessary TO saw
more of the handsome theatre
in the palace of Versailles, than
that it furnished one OF the dissi-
pations by which Louis the XIV. helped
TO bring on the Reign Of Terror. In Eng
land the Campden House theatricAis and
those of Lady Holland at Holland House
have become historical from the galaxies
OF personages. lannon's for talent, beauty
aud influence. who took part in them.
Byron's s.Sardanapalus" WAS played at
Holland House.
Among the best of our own country is
the pretty theatre OF @. c. Fisk at Bright
wood near Springfield. 1t is modelled
after the Hollis Street Theatre, Boston,
and is one-lhird the size. The stage IS
twenty feet deep. The proscenium
opening is nineteen feet By fifteen and
one-half feet high Three rows OF foot
lights, blue, red aud white, are
there with all the paraphernalia
of ground, border and bunch |
lights. The pride of the building is the |
stage, with its full set of scenes, its fly
gallery, pulleys, ropes and taekling all |
packed in a small space, with the enyf- !