The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1895-05-29
An ACTORS MATINEE.
GENERALLY THE SPECTATORS TEAR
THEIR HOST TO PIECES.

Members of Their Own Professionalism
Have Beens and Those Who Will BE
Smile at the Efforts of the Star.
The soubrette came clinging to the
arm of the villain. She was glorious in
yellow silk waist and he was glorious
in high hat and patent leather shoes.
Thus armed they felt quite sure Of con-
quering the world, which means that
they expected to "star'' together some
day.
Nine out Of ten persons in every audi
ence which consists entirely Of players
have like expectations, and right here
lies the structural weakness Of the act
ors' matinee. Your future star begins
oriticising the performance as soon as
the curtain is lifted for the first act In
every movement Of the star, in every
word spoken by the star, he sees how
much better he could have done the
part if he had had the chance. AS it is
not half satisfying to have half of the
house whispering when one is in the
midst Of his loftiest flight in the third
usually his last
''There are three reasons for giving a
professional Matinee" said an old man
ager. ''First, for the self qualification
Of the actor, who wants his colleagues
TO know what fine work he is doing;
second, out Of courtesy to the profession,
and third, to get a little advertising.
T1~o So
manager Of every production which has
q long run gets many requests from act
ors who say they want very much to see
it, but can't, because they're engaged.
"The first thing manager does when
he determines upon professional matt
nee is to ask the different managers of
attractions playing in town how many
seats they can use. Usually every per-
son in every company wants two or
three seats. Their extra seats are gener-
ally occupied by some stanch admirer
of theirs who will believe that every
criticism they utter upon the perform
ance is true. This person is called the
sympathetic ear
Ticket sellers complain about fin
icky people, who always insist upon
such and such a seat. But an actor,
when the seats are given to him, will
come and raise terrible hullabaloo un-
less they are in a certain, exact spot in
the house. I've even known manager
to send back a dozen seats because he
couldn't get them six instead of twelve
rows back. There's line of would be
actors waiting outside your door all day
long, who want anywhere from one to
twenty seats apiece, and you don't get
q moments peace until the thing 8 over
You don't get much peace even then"
After all of their trouble to get seats
to please them, many of the actors who
have engaged seats do not come. If
they are merely enemies of the actor
who gives the matinee they present the
tickets to a boarding house keeper; if
they hold an actual grudge, they give
them to a bootblack. Consequently the
we'll dressed leading man doesn't always
find the persons at his elbows exactly
the sort of company he would choose.
The most important figure at the pro-
fessional matinee is by all odds the mid
die aged lady who is a relative of
soubrette. The more distant the relation
the more important she is. If she is an
eighth cousin she expects the great doors
to swing open when she is within a
block of the theater, and eight ushers
come out to meet her. She is fat and