Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1895-10-01
HOW HEGETS HIS CUE
he DOESN'T HEAR THEM, BUT "Plcks
THEM UP" PROMPTLY

New Vera Aetors Wsy q Overooualur
= Physicni DsFsot--Hs Studies the Eaoss
- ,hs other Players ana oounts 90 -
- Tsil when 70 spcak.
Perhaps the most important detail for
an actor to master IN stage tochnicaiities
Is the trick Of picking mp his cue quick
y.
Every stago manager knows how i'm
pOrtant it IL thgh that shOuld be done
The slightest hesitancy in a quick con-
fersation botwoon che lines spoken bv
different people win surely spoil The
scene
The regulation way for actors and 90
tresses to learn their parts is to also
learn the cue, as well as their own lines
Perhaps it is we'll TO toll the uninitiated
that the cue consists Of the last few
words or the last sentence spoken by the
other actor. Every part not only con-
tains what the actor Is to speak, but
also the cue. Most stagcfolk will tell
you that IL IS more difiicult to learn the
cues than IL ia the limos. as they often
convey no meaning 10 the mind
Everybody in New York who goes to
the theaters knows or has seen Joe Hol-
land, as he is familinrly called. No one
would suspect, to see Mr.. Hollands rem
dition Of the parts no plays. that he does
not hear the cues.
However, that is a fact Mr.. Holland
inherited deafness His father was deaf,
and his brother, Mr.. George Holland,
the Philadelphia manager, is also slight
" affected that way. -tt
It would seem 70 the average thinker
that Mr.. Holland would have found his
tnflrmity a serious handicap in the dra-
matte profession. On the contrary, 10
clevorly has no managed Il that Il has
boon almost an advantage to him Triv-
ial noises do not disturb him, and in
consequence he is able to give his whole
mind, unaffected by any interruptions. to
the work in hand.
OF course Mr.. Holland is not absolute
ly 'stone deaf, - as tho saying goes. He
is what is generally termed "hard Of
hearing"
Now Rs to how no picks mp his cues
when be doesn't hear them.
he studies not only his own part, but
also the entiro lines spoken by other peo-
pie when no Is ON the stage He COM
mits these to momory perfectly. SO we'll
does he learn them that ho knows Just
how long 1t takes for them to DO spoken.
Whom he is facing the motor Of whom he
is to get his cue, Of course he can readily
tell when his turn comes by the move
ment Of tho others lips or the express
sion Of tho face. He says, though, tina.
the expression Of the face is what he re-
lies ON most He pays very little atten-
tion to tho lips, because most people
have habit Of moving the lips involun-
tarily oven when they are not speaking.
q trick that would easily lead him
Rstray. Tho expression Of tho face, how
ever, is a sure cue It mover fails him
and always is the same.
His main reliance, however, is on q
system Of counting. Ho knows just how
long it will take for each speech TO be
said. he times that speech by a certain
number Of counts When he has counted
the right number Of times for tho speech,
he knows that IL Is his turn to speak.
This Is absolutely necessary when his
back Is turned toward the other actor.
AS, for instance, Mr.. Holland comes
on the stage, his line is;
"Well; I've returned.
He then turns around to lay down his
hat, aud tho other person says;
But you were very late in, getting
back. "
As soon rs Mr.. Holland turns he be-
gins to count Whom he has reached
eight, he says in q nonchalant way, no
matter what is happening:
We'll. aren't you glad to sec me
backS''
Long experience has shown him that
In this way he Iicls mp his cue Just as
promptly and perhaps more so than
though he had heard it.
Mr.. Hollands adroitness in this line
has been the wonder Of New York man
ayers. Probably no ono else knows Of it,
for, as Is natural, Mr.. Holland is q trihe
sensitive on the subject
The only drawback that no ever finds
10 his system arises from other faults
than his own. He has mover yet been
caught mapping except when some stage
hand made blunder or somo unforeseen
accident occurred. This would only hap
pen when some nOiso was 10 bo made,
as the ringing Of bell OF the firing of a
gun In such cases Mr.. Holland sup
poses. Of course, that tho property man
or the stage hand Is doing his duty. II,
however, the property man or the stage
hand does not do his duty promptly, Mr..
Holland is left In An embarrassing situ-
alton.
Suppose, for instance. that in tho bust
ness Of piece a bell Is to be rung, Il
doesn't ring when IL should. However.
that's mono Of hr. Hollands business
He naturally supposes that Il has rung,
and 80 he calmly sayHs
"Ah, there goes tho bell Go 20 the
door, Maryl' Aud just after no has said
Il the bell ringa
Oh II some one is 20 firo a pistol and
Mr., Holland is supposed to bo listening
Tor tho report with rapt attention. and
when Il should 90 on says. "At last he
has fred, and no one has shred az, Tar a.
the audience can discover-well. In such
cases the stage manager swears and
somebody gots fined New York Her.
aid