The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-01-22

many ways. Intelligent study of good
plays will teach a deal about the best
of literature; learning their lines is good
exercise for the memory; to make ones
self heard on the stage one must learn
to enunciate distinctly, and a pleas
ant stage presence requires grace and ease
Of physical carriage. All these things are
also desirable in ordinary social life
If a number of young people decide to GO
in for amateur theatricals, the first thing
they should do is to organize a club and
formulate rigid rules. The next thing they
should do is to keep the rules 1t is ad-
visable, generally, to have the membership
about evenly divided between the sexes
The expenses of the first performance
should be shared equally by the men and
the receipts put into the club treasury 10
pay the cost of 81 bsequent entertainments.
The selection of plays is matter which
ought to receive great care. First of all.
amateurs should never, in any circum
stances whatever, attempt to perform
Shakespeare's plays-there are very few
professionals qualified TO do them even
small measure of Justice Simple comedies
are best to begin With, and the characters
in them should be as nearly of equal
strength as possible. After a time such
plays as THE Ticket of Leave Man" "Al
most a Life, "Esmeralda," ETC., may be
tried If the club insists-as most clubs do
on doing something ambitious"
Right here is a good place for word of
warning TO amateurs. Most plays worth
producing are copyrighted. To produce a
copyrighted play without the consent Of
its owner is an act Of piracy of which no
one should be guilty 1t is theft More
over, it is punishable-and rightly so--by
the infection of heavy penalties. 1t is gen
orally possible for amateurs to buy the
right OF producing copyrighted plays at
single performances by paying a small
royalty-generally ten dollars; but it is
often difficult to find rs whom the money
ought to be paid. Very likely the safest
and best way is to obtain catalogues of
plays from the various firms which make
business of publishing those suitable for
amateurs. Select fifteen or twenty, which
seem likely from the number of characters
required and general style to be good (sin-
gle copies cost from ten to twenty-five
cents EACH. and make the final choice after
having carefully examined them all
After this has been done by vote of the
members OF the club, "A stage manager
should be chosen. He should of course
be the member of the club who knows
most about acting. and after his cleo
tiou his word must be the law of the
club in all matters relating to rehearsals
and performances If it Is not, there is lit
tie chance that the club viii do creditable
work. His election should be unanimous
or some one will surely be dissatisfied. A
good amateur stage manager is hard to |
find, and after he mas been found it is hard !
TO always do as he says without grumbling }
But both are necessary to success. The !
man selected for this most important posi- |
ton must be as nearly impartial as human |
nature allows, cool headed and firm willed. |
He will of course make mistakes some |
times, but even then the fact that the con- |
duct of the stage is under the control of |
one man will insure concerted and more or |
less harmonious action.
To this stage manager should be left the 1
of parts among the players. /
In deciding who is best qualified to play 4
the different roles. he viii at first have 10 )
be guided largely by physical appearance.
1t is well for him to have several careful !
of the play decided upon, chang |
ing the parts around among the members |
Of the club At each rehearsal before finally /
a cast. By dong this be can /
gauge each actors ability pretty accurately !
and find what line OF parts he is fitted 70 /
play.
The actors should be required N 4
learn the lines of their parts
before rehearsals of the play begin 10 earn
est, A forgotten word, even 81 the first
is inexcusable
II is quite impossible in newspaper ar
ticie or anywhere else to tell how 10 act
If club can afford TO have a professional
coach or instructor it VIII be grea.
help In such case the professional
should of course be made stage manager
But plenty Of good performances, ID which
professionals lad no hand. have BEEN given
by amateurs. Il -oes without saying thai