The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1895-05-16

AN ACTORS MATINEE.
GENERALLY THE SPECTATORS TEAR
THEIR HOST TO PIECES.
Actors Are the Hardest Sort OF Critics OF
Members Of Their own Profsasion-The
Have Beens and Those Who VIII Be
Smile at the EfIorts OF the Star.
The soubrette came clinging to the
arm of the villain. She was glorious in
q yellow silk waist and he was glorious
in a high hat and patent leather shoes
Thus armed they felt quite sure Of con-
Iuering the world. which means that
they expected to "star" together some
day.
Nine out Of ten persons in every audi
ence which consists entirely Of players
have like expectations, and right here
lies the structural weakness Of the act-i
ors' matinee Your future star begins
criticising the performance as soon as
the curtain is lifted for the first cot In
every movement Of the star. in every
word spoken by the star, he sees how
much better he could have. done the
part If he had had the chanoa As it is
not half satisfying to have half Of the
house whispering when one is in the
midst Of his Hottest fight ih the third
act, the stars first actors matinee is
usually his last. 49,
tThere are three reasons for giving q
professional matinee, I" said an old man
ager. "First, for the self qualification
Of the actor, who wants his colleagues
to know what tine work he is doing :.
second, out Of courtesy to the profession.
and third, to get q little advertising.
The second is the most common. The
manager Of every production which has
long run gets many requests from act
ors who say they want very much to see
it, but can't, because they're engaged
"The first thing a manager does when
he determines upon a professional matt
nee is to ask the different, managers Of
attractions playing instown how many
seats they can usa Usually every per-;
son in every company wants two or
three seats Their extra seats are gener-
ally occupied by some stanch admirer
Of theirs who VIII believe that every
criticism they utter upon the Perform
ance is true This person is called tthe
sympathetic ear. 6 G.
"Ticket sellers complain about fin
icky people, who always insist upon
such and such a seat But an actor,
when the seats are given TO him. VIII
come and raise terrible hullabaloo un-
less they are in q certain, exact spot IN
the house I've even known q manager
to send back dozen seats because he
couldn't get them six instead Of twelve
rows back There's slime or would be
actors waiting outside your door. all day
long, who want anywhere from one to
twenty seats apiece, and you don't get
q moments peace until the thing'sover.
You don't get much peace even then.
After all of their trouble 70 set seats
TO please them. many Of the actors who
have engaged seats do not come II
they are merely genemies Of the actor
who gives the matinee they present the
tickets to q boarding house keeper il
they hold an actual grudge, they give
them to bootblack.z Consequently the
well dressed leading man doesn't always
find the persons, at his elbows exactly
the sort Of company he would choose.
The most important figure at the pro-
fessional matinee is by all odds the mid
die aged lady who is relative OF a
soubrette. The more distant the relation
the more important she is. II she is an
eighth cousin she expects the great doors
to swing open when she is within q
block of the theater. and eight ushers
come out to meet her. She is fat and
comfortable looking, and she always
has temper.
The old time actor, who has barn
stormed it in the legitimate as long a
he could, comes to see how low the
stage has fallen Maybe one Of these fat
and comfortable boarding house keepers
is his sympathetic ear. he tells her thai
things were far different when he and
Booth were starring It; these young
actors don't know much, and the stagt
has gone to the bowwowa
Between the acts the corridors swarm
Acquaintances meet, and then they be
gin to talk in this way:
"How did it happenf"
Don't ask me, dear boy. Bullheat
.luckP' - So -
land. do You know. he really think
he can act.
"Yea I suppose that he thought h
was going to astonish the natives Cad
Did You notice that entrance?"
Horrible. Conception is all wrong
Now, If p
"And If r.
But they break right there be
ing Immediately convinced that tn
other does not know anything about it
But there are exceptions They an
usually the most prominent actors
Sometimes the hand Of the star j
.grasped warmly between the acts, an
he feels the thrill Of triumph with tn
words: Its immense, old man. 70
are revelation /"
The reporter had ON his right side tn
soubrette and the villain, and on hi
left very nice old lady with whit
curls, who had come with her son. Tn
young man was very critical He pickle
ont Jaw after flaw. and RECALLED hi
mother with them The old Lady wa
an actress herseH-a very good actress
apparently. And finally she said to thi
1,oxy II, a c,ortlo aside: