Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1895-08-20
HOW HEGETS HIS CUE
HE DOESN'T HEAR THEM, BUT "PlcKs
THEM UP" PROMPTLY.

A New York Actors way q Overcoming
= Physical Defect--He Studies the Faces
of she Other Players and Counis So as
- Tell when TO SPEAK.
Perhaps tho most important detail for
an actor 20 master IN stage technicalities
Is tho trick Of picking mp his cue quick
ly.
Every stage manager knows how inn
portant it Is thgk that should bo done.
The slightest hesitancy in quick con
fersation between the lines spoken by
different people win surely spoil the
scene.
The regulation way for actors and 60
tresses TO learn their parts Is 70 also
learn the cue, a. we'll as their own lines
Perhaps Il iswell to tell the uninitiated
that the cue consists Of TIE 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 stagefolk will tell
you that IL is more difficult to learn the
cues than It is the lines, as thoy often
convey no meaning to the mind
Everybody in New York who goes to
the thoaters knows or has seen Joe Hol-
land, as he is familiarly called No one
would suspect, to see Mr.. Hollands rem
dition Of the parts he plays, that he does
not hear the cues
However, that Is q fact Mr.. Holland
inherited deafness His father was deaf,
and his brother, Mr.. George Holland,
the Philadelphia manager, is also slight
ly affected that way.
It would seem to the average thinker
that Mr.. Holland would have found his
inhrlnity a serious handicap in tho dra-
matio profession. On the contrary, 30
cleverly has he managed it that it has
beon almost Rn 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 as to how no picks up his cues
whom he doesn't hear thom.
Ho studies not only his own part, but
also tho entirc lines spoken by other peo-
pie when no is on the stage. He COM
mits these to memory perfectly. So we'll
does no learn them that ho knows just
how long it takes for them to be spoken.
When he is facing tho actor Of whom he
is to got his cue, Of course he can readily
tell when his turn comes by tho move
ment Of tho others lips or the express
sion of tho face. Ho says, though, that
the expression Of the face is what no re-
lies on most He pays very little atten-
tion to the lips, because most people
have habit of moving the lips involun-
tarily even when they are not speaking,
a trick that would easily lead him
astray. The expression Of the face, how
ever, is a sure cue. It never fails him
and always is tho Same.
His main reliance, however, Is ON
system Of counting. He 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
tho right number Of times for the speech,
he knows that it is his turn to speak.
This Is absolutely necessary when his
back is turned toward tho 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, and tho other person says;
But you were very late in getting
back. "
As soon as Mr.. Holland turns he be-
gins to count When he has reached
eight. no says IN a nonchalant way, no
matter what is happening:
well, aren't you glad to see me
back?'
Long experience has shown him that
in this way no picks up his cue Just as
promptly and perhaps more so than
though he had heard II.
Mr. Hollands adroitness in this line
has beon tho wonder Of New York man
ngers Probably no one else knows Of it,
for, as is natural, Mr. Holland is a trife
sensitive on the subject.
The only drawback that he ever finds
to his system arises from other faults
than his own. He has never yet been
canght mapping except whcn some stage
hand made a blunder or some unforeseen
accident occurred. This would only hap
pen when some noise was TO be made,
as the ringing Of bell or the firing Of q
gun In such cases Mr.. Holland sup
poses, Of course, that the property man
or the stage hand is doing his duty. II.
however, the property man on tho stage
hand does not do his duty promptly, Mr..
Holland Il left in an embarrassing situ-
alton.
Suppose, for instance, that in tho bust
ness Of a. piece bell is to be rung. Il
doesn't ring when II should. However,
that's none Of Mr. Hollands business
He naturally supposes that it has rung,
and so he calmly says;
All. there goes tho bell Go to the
door, Nary" And just after he has said
Il the bell rings
Oh II some one Is 10 FIRE q pistol and
Mr. Holland is supposed 10 bo listening
for tho report with rapt attention, aud
when IL should go OF says, "At last he
has fired, and no one has fired as far a.
the audience can discover--well, IA such
cases the stage manager swears and
somebody gets fined New York Her
aid.