Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-03-07
Peeps Behind The Scenes.
THE AMUSING ACTIONS OF HOME
TALENT AMATEURS BEHIND
THE FLIES.
Scenes Enacted "on the Side," Which
Are Entirely Different From Those
on the Stage-The Green
Room"

What child or young person in this
city has not taken part in some public
entertainment, private theatrical or
popular 'shome talent?n There are in
deed few of us who have not In some
way, and at some time, appeared be-
fore an audience for their entertain
ment and enioyment, and sal who
have, know full well that the scenes
that appear on the stage are entirely
different from those enacted behind
the Cities"
1t would be worth twice the price of
admission to any entertainment at the
Opera House. especially a ''home tai
ent," if one could be allowed to watch
the performance from the side of the
stage and note the humorous things
that occur and the hurry and scurry
of the amateur talent, especially before
the curtain goes up.
After all faces have been painted
and chalked, all costumes put on and
all performers have drunk several
times the necessary amount of water
to wet their whistles, the director and
prompter will yell, sis every one in
his place? All ready, now; up with
the curtain" "Ding, ding" sounds
the first bell for the second curtain,
when some female with war paint
streaked with p~erspiration shrieks,
"Oh! wait till l get my handkerchief
in the dressing room" During her
absence the men in the play take off
their wigs to cool their heads and curl
their false mustaches, and by her re-
turn have their stage faces adjusted to
suit their parts in the play.
The first curtain as usual had gone
up a full half hour before to silencethe
impatient whistles of the boys in the
gallery.
With a final word of encouragement
to all the director gives the signal, the
bell rings again and the curtain is lost
to view. Then follows that sudden
silence, which makes the starting
words from the frightened lead-man
sound so weak and indistinct.
Things progress; the newspaper man
at his table behind the flies is warting
for dear life and, has just finished the
phrases, sin a beautiful Manner"
characteristic style, - s'to perfection"
etc., concerning the persons appear
ing in the glare of the foot lights,
when the director cuts off his flow of
ffuseoring ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and
loudly whispering to those on the
stage such commands as, 'talk loud
err y advance to the 'front.'" "ten the
captain to say, q love you,' next time
with more force,'' mot too fast" and
many other words of correction. Then
there talk two participants who have
just left the stage till their time comes
again; "you did lovely" "Rats' L
didn't, for 1 liked ter forgot" ''That
man mashed my sleeve" ''Isn't he
good?" "Gimme some water quick"
and both disappear out the side
trance to "get some fresh air."
Others finish, make their exits
through the canvass doors and stop
at the rude "press headquarters" to
see how much the reporter has writ
ten. allow much r you going to
write about the AFFAIR."" and, "what
you goin' to say about me?" and, "let
me read what you've written, please"
are the interrogatory remarks cast at
the latter from over his shoulder.
If music is d part of the pro-
gramme, each dainty singer or per-
former must linger a few seconds after
her announcement to shake her skirts,
initiate her sleeves, take an extra hitch
with her hair pin, or clear her throat;
and, oh! what painful expressions are
dispicted on her face when she dis
covers that she just must answer the
hearty encore, and how happy she is to
receive the words of praise from her
| girl companions as they grab her in a
congratulating manner, and she signs,
sits done"
If there is a j~uvenil part to the pro-
gramme, the little onesare SO restless
to go on out, and some can hardly
| wait till their time to ''show-off," and
| then the amount of deaf and dumb
telegraphy, 50 to speak, that is sent
| across the stage by the o~verseers as to
| exactly when each file of children shall
| start from the sides of the stage in or
| der to meet in the center. Their
| speeches recited and marching done,