New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-15
WORKING AT THE PLAl'
SOMETHING ABOUT REHEARsAL''
THEY v,S HAVE THE CHARM OF MYSTERY I'LL
THEY ARE SEEN But THEY hN'"
FEW OTHER CHARMS.

THEY MAY HAVE THE CHAfN VI
THEY ARE SEEN But THEY HAVE
FEW OTHER CHARMS.
There have been more theatrical companies 'e
hearsinc in New-York in the last few "eeA' -
the average person uniformed In sue" =, ,,
would suppose that the word contained 49,,
time OF wear wher all the little road compahe9 a.,
going out or getting ready to "go out -,
the term used TO indicate that company l. a.
TO try the hazard Of tour. Wheh 'ne =, a,
the subject of the sentence It IL sara una
.t,k,nS The company out" Well is 1t Tor 'ie '''''
many IL ne brings 1t back after he has t"Ne" " 80.
New-York is the theatrical fountal'"e' ,h.
whole eastern part OF the couh"S' az rAo-o ,s q
almos; be said. % the whole country ".u,.aI
certain sort OF centrins OF Western aa,r.
interests in Chicago. but II IL insigh'rl'"'' " 80.
narisou with the focusing OF great and sHaii '""'
I'm New-York New-York Is the America" a.
heaven. Plays and companies nave o"7 -
here ihan anywhere else. Nheh d''o'' - -,
New-York they get into comfortaDie wa" -. =,
stay In them for several weeks ana NV &c.,.
feel at home When they are out OF low, ~"
..ldoro s,a, ANYWHERE for more than Week IN
cept IN Boston. Philadelphia OF chicago Nv -
OF their pauses are for not more tha' wv ,A.
nights and many Of them are Tor o's o" 90
Life on the road is ceaseless rouhu % $50
bed late ana gettinf up carly. uncomior'@"'' "''
bad Hotels irregular meals and cold anu u'''
for Naw-York And besides all this th'S in''
more OF the kind OF life that they IKE hei' "r''
anywhere else. # Is true that IL" o. ~" -
OF life on the road have been muga'e'i W
years Many OF the smaller cities lor ''S'"'
now have theatres that are among the hnes' anu
most comfortable in the country the one N'"
in the United States. il is said. which Is o'S, a.
ranged OF all for the comfort OF the actors u ~
Pittsburg still New-YoTk is the have" o.
and JOY and is the only city In the country "'.'
has any considerable population OF actors ~
This is why nearly all the compahe' j" VIZ.
country are made up here whether theE a'' w
to NAV here or not and this Is why, "heh 'nr
companes fall to pieces on the road as about mar
~ them do within a month or SIX weeks inc wv
towering desire OF the actor Is TO get p"cN ~ -
York Here he has friends. possipIy cre"'' an
here II he is lucky he may get aho'hsI e"7"e
ment He Is not I'm the least likely to ma any ~
OF these three good things in the town ""ol7 "''
company has CHANGED to end Its htful career
COMPANIES FOR EXPORT ONLY
And the companies that arc made up mere az
also rehearsed here so that for a month or TWO "t
80 orI - ovorv summer all the theatres and
halls in town are fun Of them. Every theatre "dS'
~ course IT'S own company. or the one thar - 10
open its season. and all the time when us 7."s'
not in use for its rehearsals IL Is ocoup'' -
actors or singers dancers VINO are 10 p'H'" -
season somewhere else Many OF them d. '"'
,aa1 hen said are not to appear in New-N ork
q. all The organizations and the plays tna' 'leS
do are not known here. even by name A orAi'"''1
agent makes up the company from the nam.
his list, the manager finds theatre OF q nan 40
rehearsals the company goes away ana rue
and comes back at the end OF the season. OF iiiS
and comes back II It can, before the end OF 'ne
soason II YOU 70 somewhere far away from New
Work. vou may see its name-a strange name l"
vou-.n big letters on fence out as 'ons a.
STAY in New-York you will never Kho" oi ~
is,ence And so not only this theatre Dut az '''
halls that have floor spans big enough. have raicu-
Inns little foreioomed dramatic companies r.
! hsars,nr in them and II YOU are hunting for your
friend who is an actor you are likely 10 lear" oS
5u,gent iro,irv that ne is with some naiheiesS
! comnanv rchcarsing some unheard oil play III 'e
| III susoected dancing hall on the East S'e
ror the lavman there is bright glamour oNe'
svervthing connected with the Stage ana cha'ih
~ mystery about all that Is invisible from the auu
| ,oaroor He has seen the front side OF the
scenery and the actors in their assigned posi'iohS
IN the stage a hundred times; what ne wants ~
GO. Is the back side OF the scenery the actors s'a'u
| t. regIyently about waiting for their cues ana
tho nrettv ballet girls drinking champagne WIN INC
! Young men about town" IN the wings. IL 3
! o,..slv necessary to tell the intelligent reader
that Young men about town are not allowed III Tue
! wings and that ballet girls do not drink chaiH
nagne there with anybody. The pictures anu
iokes in the comic papers TO the enect tha' 'ney
do
the lavman mas seen theatrical performances ~
/ thev have grown commonplace 10 him W nat ne
wants 70 see is the rehearsal He wants TO see II
! iust because IT il hidden. II is well Tor al CON-
cer,ed that hc cannot Actors do not Ike TO nave
ilers nresenf at rehearsals. and outsiders DO not
care 70 be- there after they have tried il once or
,u.ice They arc usually about as dun ana aps"ru-
/ Lacking affairs as can we'll be imagined
ABSURD AND UNINTELLIGIBLE TALK
Three or four. half dozen or dozen people
stand or sit " walk about on haf-harK stage
end look 10 the casual observer. much a. u 'heE
vere making an afternoon call on the stage man
agar who sits at a little table down near the root
,,vh,s which are not lighted. by the way the only
u,umina lion coming from one or TWO buh'h 'ls"'S
-. tho side The people all 10 be talking IN
the most ordinary and inconsequeni'al way.
II the casual observer should become an attentive
observer he would of course. quickly ma out that
they were not calling on he stage manage anu
that their conversation was not quite o. 'he %
dinsrv sort poor young man does not, for IN
! stance IN ordinary life make love 10 rbh young
| woman and plan just how he VIII get her o"' %
tho house and run away with her. with her la1heI
s.ard,,g clos. by where he could hear every word.
hut apparently not listening. because the supJec'
does not interest him. Neither do gentlemahS
! v,uain and a low ruffan sit down together IN or
/ binary uf, and plan a murder and robbery WIN
Their victim looking on and listeninS anu perhaps
making an occa sional suggestion. There are cases
however in which the pan might not De as easy 10
discover from the conversation. For instance 'he
/ Young lover may talk somewhat Ike this; Dear
Z oct Emmcliu". the world would be holo" vo'd
without y.u and so forth and so forth ana 'heh
come over here aud sit on The sofa ahd II so"S OF
/ 10 over the border before morning linen Hi
Incline replies IN similarly tender ana ''p'eS'''
strain and 50 the fascinatin conversation goes Oh
In these early rehearsals everybody. OF course
wears ordinary street dress 40 scenery Is used ao
no properties appear. All tho actors VINO are ID '"'
NAV commonly stand about 'he stage. ~hethef the'
are supposed TO be II AT the moment or NOT lh'
/ stage manager makes suggestions. ana pdssds''
and bits OF stage business nave 10 De repe"'e' '''
+, * even harder 20 see what II & al about than il
q, .h., s,r,e modern p;ays actually get before the