The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-08
ACTORS MUST KNOW
TIMES HAVE CHANGED. AND THE AUL
DONATIONS HAVE GONE.

stand the Author and to Learn the Sto-
~ and Object of the Plry-william h.
Crane Comes to the Ress re.
At gathering Of men prominent In
the theatrical world the other night an
author who has bad some Success with
one or two plays brought up the old argu-
ment that sctors We're in great measure.
little better than automatons.
A star wanted play in hurry. What
he was using was not 20 the public taste.
and the author sent him one of the many
which were knocking about in his trunk.
Some three weeks after the piece had been
produced he ran out TO a little town in
New Jersey and saw the play. 1t was not
q bit like the play he planned and wrote.
The situations were all there, and so were
the lines, but ideas he had never dreamed
of in connection with the play were being
conveyed by the actors. This made him
furious, and he rallied at actors in gen.
eral, saying that they had 10 ideas OF
their owD, and there was not one actor
out of ten who could tell you the story Of
the play IL which he was appearing
poor dClOE lI4S Cll.ltLf re-
peated many times. When Henry Irving
was in this country, the American dram
atists gave "a dinner in bis honor. In
responding to the pleasant things said
about him the English actor told how he
had been an actor for many years before
ne had ever given any thought to the
general character of the plays in which he
was taking part. 1t had only been after
r. f,,k ,-e -. l.
understood the work Of the author and
how close a relation one scene bore to an
other. When be became q manager, he
made study of these things, and the pro-
duction of play meant great deal moro
to him than the memoriZing of his lines
and of his cues.
TO strengthen his argument that most
actors paid little attention to anything but
their own lines, Mr.. Irving told a story
about the famous Frenchman, Frederick
Lemaitre. The latter had made gigantic
hit in new play, tho name OF which I
cannot now recall, and had been giving it
steadily for nearly two years in Paris.
While dining one afternoon with a friend
the latter as n joke asked him what was
the story OF the play in which ne was be-
ing seen. To his amazement the actor re-
This will strike most people as being
decidedly odd, but Mr.. 1rving's word is
not to be doubted. Lemaitre told tie
truth, and while many actors of his day
might have answered like questions in the
same way the actor of today who would
say the same thing would be looked upon
as Il curiosity.
Actors are not automatons, and the
,of xaiI no ~
the play in which he is appearing would
be an imbecile. Such man 1 do not be-
lieve exists in the profession. What Mr..
Irving says and what my friend the au-
thor holds was true in a measure 10 or Is
years ago, but it is not today.
Years ago, when was a member of q
stock company, 1 frequently appeared in
plays OF which 1 knew very little. We
used to give four or five different plays a
week, and we rehearsed every day. OF q
Monday morning would be given several
parts and told TO InemoriZe them. Some
of these parts would consist of 90 or more
pages, and all of my time was put in
studying rehearsing and playing. 1 had
no time for recreation.
There was nothing but work and worry,
with small salary thrown in and Il hope
that / would pull through with tho help
of heaven and the prompter. Had some
one asked me in those days the story OF
any one of the plays in which I was APP
pearing l could not have told him. In
fact, was not expected to know. All
that was required was that 1 should know
my lines. But, to use very old and mil
dewed expression, times have changed.
The production of plays today is reduc-
ed to a scientific principle. II Mr.. DAILY
CT Mr.. Frohman or any Of our big man
ayers decides to produce a new play, a call
is posted notifying the company to meet
at the theater at certain hour. The au-
thor is present. and it is his or her duty
to read the work to the assembled company
and explain to il his or her ideas and where
and how he or she desires to obtain Ger.
tain effects. Every point is made clear.
The stage manager has already cast the
play, and, the reading over, the parts are
handed around. The next day the really
hard work begins when the play is placed
in rehearsal.
It is the authors business to be present
at all these rehearsals. Bronson Howard
rehearses all of his own plays. He takes
seat down near the stage with copy of
the manuscript in his hand and directs
every little Bit OF stage business and cor
reefs every mistake Clay Greene, David
Belasco Augustus Thomas, Paul Potter,
Sydney Rosenfeld and all of our promi-
nent authors attend all of the rehearsals
of their plays, for they have learned the
lesson that il is 10 their interest to do so.
My friend the author, who complained
so much about actors being automatons
and being devoid OF ideas, had neglected
to attend TIE rehearsals of bis play and
was surprised when he saw 1t TO lind that
all Of his ideas had not been carried out
The man who staged it drew bis own de-
auctions, the most reasonable perhaps
that he could, and then gave the ideas 70
the company. Such cases, however. arc
very rare
To my mind, the actors Of today arc an
enlightened body, and most authors who
have been brought in contact with them
y-ill boar ont This - William II