The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-05-03
JOSEPH JEFFERSON AT YALE
STOKE TO THE STUDENTS ON METH ops OF SUCCESSFUL ACTING.

Told How "Rip Van Wrinkle" Would be Ruined by Poor AIethods-An Able Deser-
 tation Much Enjoyed by a Large Audience
 Other Interesting Yale News. A large audience of students assem-
 bled at the lecture room of the Yale Art
 school yesterday afternoon to hear Jo-
 seph Jefferson lecture on Acting and
 the Drama" The room was filled to its
 utmost capacity long before the ap-
 pointed time. When MT. Jefferson en-
 tered he was greeted with deafening applause.
 President Dwight introduced him to the audience as a member of the class of '92.
 The we'll known actor spoke in part as follows:
 "There is nothing an actor enjoys more than good round of applause On this occasion applause is doubly well come. for it gives me a little time to think of what am going to say,
 "The word rehearsal implies prepa- L0tlOAls W liC4l l WdS pltiy HIS III NGW York a speech was prepared to be given after the play. 1 was to reply as if had never heard of 1t. Everything was ready, but after the curtain dropped we were not called for.
 Speaking of oratory and acting, many actors cannot see why they do not succeed on the stage. The actor as well as the orator must have good voice, but he must have more. He must be impressionable and must enter into the part. Take the scene where Othello rebukes Cassie. There Is no acting there. Cassie stands mute and receives the rebuke without word in reply. That is simply oratory. Tn literature I should say the journalist Is the orator, but the noVelists are the actors. It amazes me to see how some actors will hold an audience by their magnetism. The other evening heard a lecture and found myself applaudlng with the rest. He held the attention of the audience to the end, but when he was through I could not have told what he was speak ing about, and doubt if he knew him self.
 "The impressionable man may be little too timid to face an audience. am very timid myself. I frankly admit my heart has been in my mouth all the morning, but have done great deal to- ward getting it back in the right place.
 Genius produces, but art reproduces. Art is very important in my profession. A painter can change and alter 8 pie ture before it goes to the exposition, but an actor has no chance to alter his They must be perfect in every respect, When part grows mo- and does not produce thrill in the actor, and he lcses interest in 1t, \ then it loses its interest for the audi ence.
 "The best effects of Rip Van Wrinkle is in it's simplicity. What to leave out Is one of the principal points. Think of having real dog on the stage. Most every one likes a particular kind of dog and so there would be no one suited; but if you leave it out each individual will picture in his mind his own kind of dog and therefore be perfectly sat sfied. In the first two acts it is all light to sit around on the table and have everything real in life, but at the begin l ring of the third act everything must | 1e changed You are taken into fairy | 'ealms and everything must correspond. | If after the sleep of twenty years I l jhould awake with 8 yawn the whole | ,ffect would be ruined. A yawn would | indicate a good nights rest"
 After the speech a few informal ques- ions were answered by MT. Jefferson. The ushers were B. s. Cable '95, w. II. Clark '96, F. R. Galacar '95, L. Lee '95 \. P. Stokes, jr, '96, s. Tyler '95, A. 's5, c. W. Wells 96. The ommittee to receive MT Jefferson was a. S. Baldwin '95 and D. G. Taylor '95.