The herald., 1894-02-28

it must be given a distinct personality,
1t must be made a natural living hu-
man being; that is the fret step. Then
the words are learned over and over
again must they be spoken, each time
with different information to word
, here and word there, touch OF light
here, and a dash of shade there,
and then over and over again
until the proper tone and express
sion become obedient to command,
Then there is the makeup to be thought
of that also must have it's individuality,
in harmony with the character already
created and embodied by the actor. and
l can assure you many weary hours
must be spent before the lookinggass
to arrive at a perfectly satisfactory re-
suit. As q rule IN actor models his
makeup from lie or from a sketch some
artist friend has made him, or he may
wander the streets until he sees the face
which gives him his idea,
So with the movements OF the part
and the little bits OF business" which
go 80 far to complete the picture; it
must be all alike. everything muet be
in character and keeping with the being
OF imagination, which, in the hands of
the artist, is made living, breathing
thing.
Last of all came the full scenic re-
hearsals; two more weeks perhaps,
during which the daily grind is kept up,
but this time with ecenery, and every
stage accessory in its proper place, the
moet tedious OF all rebearsais, for q
stubborn "cloth" or recacitrant
'change'' will often cause an hour OF
waiting, while the manager tears his
hair and accuses his stage manager OF
being in a conspiracy to ruin him, and
the stage manager invents new swear
words which he uses laviehly on his
perspiring deputies.
And oh that first night, when the
manager wears face that Meduss
might have envied, and the leading
lady has to be kept from fainting. with
brandy, while upstairs in the dressing
rooms your psllid companions are nerv-
ously pacing the floor repeating lines,
and prophesying their certain failure ;
on such night the borrowing of grease
paint becomes a crime. and the
rash being who made joke
would surely nsver breathe again
and the nervous waiting for your cue,
while the manager stands waiting in the
wings, where you can see him watching
you all the time. ready in case you
make mistake to tell you you are
born idiot and have ruined an other
wise successful production; these be
sweet words in an ambitious young
ster's ears, but as rule such reproofs
are wasted, for the unfortunate beginner
has generally already discoveed his mis-
take, and is by that time too utterly
overcome and despairing to have ears
for anything beyond the voice of his
conscience, which will worry him more
that night than that of many deep
dyed criminal.
81 will say nothing about the nervous
and mental strain, or the sleepless
hours bsiore the papers come out in the
morning; those are things which cannot
be described, but which are the expert
encea which turn mans hair gray.
Even when the first night is over
there still remains work to be done;
each part must have an understudy,
and as each man undeistudies q more
important part, the work is correspond
ingly harder, and 30 there are weeks of
weary rehearsing, by the end of which
perhaps the play, which costs 80 much
toll, anxiety and money, has proved
itself failure, and the work has to be
begun all over again on some new sub
ject.
Take it all in all, an actors profession
ia hard and thAnklesa one, but it ia
an art, in which its devotees find fas-
cination which ia offered by no other
calling.