The herald., 1894-02-28
NOT So VERY BLAMED EASY,
The Work of Producing a Play
Successfully.
A Few Points Which Are New to
Theater GOers.
A Profession which Is Productive of
Much Toll and Anxiety How
Play Is Rehearsed, MS Told
by Ono who Knows.

The ordinary theater-going public
wich pays its money and takes its
choice has but little idea of the i'm
mense amount OF labor production of
any importance entails to the producer
and people concerned in it.
A former member of one of the lead
ing metropolitan thesters gave q re-
porter some interesting information con-
corning the matter. during chat on
theatrical suhjecta.
''As an example," he said, 81 will
take the production of famous play
which ran for nearly year, in which l
was cast, and which probably cost my
manager more money than any other
two plays be ever brought before the
public.'
The plav was poetical drama OF the
days OF ancient Rome. and hie first step,
while the manuscript was still in the
hands of the author, was the designing
and construction of the scenery.
Arch9ologists OF national fame were
employed, in conjunction with the thea
ter's regular artists, one OF whom, by
| the way, was contributor to the Royal
academy, and the different scenes
planned and sketched out from the
rough plot of the play. Then q minia-
ture stage was constructed, with work
ing model OF each separate scene, every
thing being precisely similar to the set
ting to be employed in the future
production. ,.sPhese we're then submitted
to the manager who, after alterations,
gave them in turn to his stage manager
and artists.
The next event was the reading of the
drama to the company, a momentous
event, and during which each actor in
variably selected as his the part destined
for one OF his more fortunate compan-
ions.
The writer, now dead, but then one of
the most famous OF England's poetical
dramstists. was unfortunately one of
those whose genius needed the frequent
stimulant of the bottle, and the play
was read to US, an act at time, as the
state OF the writer permitted, our parts
being given to us on the occasion of the
first reading. And then we had Our
first rehearsal.
The spectators, who see nothing but
the result of an actors toll, have no
| idea of the amount of tedious work
which must be undergone by the men
and women whom they watch and criti-
else, and who move and speak with such
| facility OF gesture and ease of action.
Each OF those gestures has taken weeks
OF practice, every tone thousand re-
hearaals, to gain the touch of nature to
which the spectator, aa a rule, pays no
higher compliment than to accept as q
matter of course.
1t is extraordinary, by the by, that
people should consider ours such but
terfiy existence. Why, whenever man
or woman without the brains to become
success at anything else find them
selves at loss for employment they fly
| to the stage, but as rule they very soon
discover their mistake.
The rehearsals were OF course con-
Quoted personally by our manager, who
had the leading part, and the entire
burden OF production on his shoulders.
That first act was rehearsed for over
month, every movement, every gesture
almost, being planned beforehand.
Sometimes we would 20 down to re.
hearsal at 8 O'Clock in the morning
and work up to 5 O'Clock, on the move
all the time. Then we would rush off,
and after getting some food, rush back
again, to be just in time for the nights
performance.
Then there was the costuming; this
again was the work of our manager.
Alter being designed by Goodwin, the
late we'll known Archaeological, the colors
were chosen by our manager, who Sc
lected each shade, with an ever present
idea of the tout ensemble, when the diff
ferent people should come in contact
with one another on the stage. The re-
IL - Al - Of
success. Talking about costumes, the
leading man wore his togo at his house
for three months before tbs production.
and was consequently on that exciting
night able to move with as. much grace
as if he had been born in petticoats.
But the supes have the most
trouble: fancy trying to transform a
crowd of two or three hundred
rou CHS in togas into Roman citizens.
They were drilled every day
/ for months groups of three and four
men would be given certain business,
and certein movements to perform, and
drilled separately until their ability was
certain, and then the entire crowd
would be reheareed, each man coming
in with his separate little piece OF work
at the right time but it took our man
ager lots of time to do it, and during all
this time he was learning and studying
his own part and watching scenery re-
hearsals and limel:ght rehearsals after
the fall of the curtain at night, Tor the
day was always taken up with the
words. 1t was no wonder he Loot his
temper when, after being up ali night,
he was kept waiting in the morning by
some unfortunate, whose best excuse
was SO slow car" but bad language is
managers special prerogative on these
occasions.
He had to know something about
singing, too; there were choruses to be
drilled, and although they might be
good singers, they had to sing as he di-
rected them for the play demanded it,
and there were situations to be ruined
or intensified by the manner in which
that voluptuous love melody was sung;
band rehearaals were of course equally
necessary.
To add to all these troubles, the au-
thor who had supplied four acts out of
the five. got delirium tremens, and OF
course delayed the first night. When
he recovered our boss took him to his
own house, locked him up in room
with pens and paper and told him he
would stay there until he finished it;
and on o certain allowance OF brandy
day, for the couldn't write blank verse
unless he was half seas over, he did I'm