The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-04-15
THE HISTRIoNlC CRAZE.
Amateur Actors, Their Ambitions,
Their Triumphs and
Their Woes.

The latest fad OF Jersey City society is
amateur theatricals, and in no city within
Il hundred miles of New York can SO
many amateur dramatic societies be
found. Never before have they existed
in such large numbers or enjoyed such
general popularity as now. Ii matters
little whether this fact is due TO an in
creased desire on the part of young peo-
pie for literatry recreation aud mental
improvement, or whether 1t IS
due to hard times aud conse-
unept scarcity of .'swelIp balls, parties
and receptions; certain it Is that Lnese In
stitutious are growing apace, aud no well
regulated young person can afford to
disregard the prevailing fashion, which
requires the Joining Of some
society. There are over forty such soci-
cites in Jersey City, and hardly a week
passes but another is organized.
The societies are composed usually OF
twenty or twenty-five young ladies and
gentlemen, with an occasional sprinkilng
of stage struck married folk. 1t is by no
means essential that the members should
possess any htstrionic ability. On the
contrary, in many -cases:abSence OF talent
in this respect is rather u recommend a
ton, as it places all upon an equal footing,
and obviates. TO soule extent, the danger
of jealousy aud rivalry. The perform
ances are always given at some
hall aud, the money received from adj
mission tickets helps to pay the expense
of production. After the play Is over and
the tragedy b as been transformed into a
comedy or the comedy has been meta
morphosed into a tragedy. as the case
may be, the young folk. of course.
dance, and the evening is thus. at least,
brought to an enjoyable close.
MILDLY AMBITIOUS.
nEn4 nrpnFa1r n I'm ~. ID snniGfu man
is not the most modest of his race. he
aspires to be o great actor and wants
everybody to know 1t. When he enters a
horse car, he pulls his play book out or
his pocket. co~Dspicuously displays the
title page, n %pretends to study. The
old fashioned parlor comedies which MS
grandfather played III do not satisfy the
fire of ambition which burns wtUnln him.
He goes in for the heaviest of comedy aud
the lightest of tragedy. He plays Romeo
and his best girl plays Juliet. or be
murders Macbeth, while the least
u~nostrusive of the lady members
makes short work of that monarch's wife.
ANY play in which there Is plenty to say
and little to do will suit.
The amateur actor Is usually pretty
good at talking, but. somehow or other,
as soon as the curtain rises ne loses all
control over his muscles, and is Strangely
unable to use mis- limbs. He is all right
us lu6 ICE6dIo dAS b0b Oa Wv LIZ ~ "a ~
performance he is otherwise. He is in
mortal agony lest his mustache
fall off, aud he is afraid his
wig is awry. He is mumbling
to himself all the time the other dTGmdttS
perSOTGe are speaking, and he is careful
never to look at the person he addresses,
for fear of losing countenance. Neither
does be favor the audience with a flash OF
his eye, but consistently aud consciep-
tiously stares at the blank wall, right
over the heads of the audience, while he
is delivering his lines. Ten TO one he is
cast for the lover OF the girl he does not
care a pin for, while his hated rival is
cast TO make love 10 the girl he adores.
or he is disconnected by the sight of a
man IN the audience who has played his
part, and who grinS when he bluuders
in his lines; in fact, there Is no end to the
sad possibilities of dire dis aster which
betall the amateur actor on his road 60
fame.
WHERE FEMININE GOODNESS PATS.
The young lady is more at home. She
doesn't care whether she knows her lines
or not, for nobody can hear her In either
case. She, too. is all right at rehearsal,
blu when The night of performance comes
Oh she is apt to forget her lines, and keep
the audience and actors waiting u minute
she gives a last touch TO
her dress or looks in the
glass to see that her bangs are straight.
Then she cutters, radiant, Deautifui, just
on the point of taking up the thread of
the dialogue, quite forgotten by tue au-
dience, when a burst Of applause greets
her, ~dfsconcerts her and she stands silent
and bathed in rouge, until the stentorian
voice of the prompter spurts her into
action again. III time. the modest
amateur becomes self confident aud
INDUCES in wild dreams of
appearing on the professional
stage and wearing dresses not unlike
those of Lillian Russell. The male anna
teur, however. on the other hand. looks
down with sublime condescension upon
the dramatic profession. and thinks he
does 1t honor when he deigns Co play
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