The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-17
ACTORS DRESSING ROOMS.
MOSTLY SMALL, sTUFFY PLACES
WITH NO ONVENIENCEs.

Source of DIssension Behind the scenes.
One Of the never ending causes OF dissen-
sion IN theatrical companies Is tho question Of
the stars dressing room" The majority Of
tho dressing rooms in the average theatre are
un comfortable enough. They nre so different
In the point Of comfort from tho auditorium
OF the thentrc that foreign actors who como to
this country can never say enough In praise
OF the elegance and luxury NJ what Ia pro-
frssionallY known NJ 'the front Of the house,"
aud express the. nsclves with sufficient ON.
phasis In abuse Of the facilities provided for
tho actors. In view Of the preparation they are
called upon to make, II is amazing to an outsider
to witness tho poor accommodations provided
for them. Rarely are these rooms larger than
closets. Usually they have no windows. and
when they are provided with them tho OPEN
ings usually face n brick wall only:a few feet
away. For years actors have been discussing
means by which they could secure better dress
ing rooms, and within recent years there has
been some Improvement. But they are COM
planning still and apparently with more cause
than usual. Running water. for instance, Is q
luxury almost unknown. and the lighting APP
pnratus, which should supposedly he most com.
plete. is generally meagre and crude.
The "star's' dressing room II, OF course,
larger than any OF the others. II there is any
convenience to be found in the theatre 1t will
bo in this room. Usually II is larger than the
otncrs' IL IL petVer iBhteu' anu Ill the larger
cities may be supplied with a basin and running
th a, st,.s Witch m mosr 't tSn, , 1n Un ivI na n %,
climbing UP and down narrow and usually
dirtv stairs TO get to It. II is the star dressing
room IN every sense of the word. But IL il
not dear to the actors heart. because II has
all these material advantages. 1t is not the
thihg' out the thing signihed as the grammar
says which interest the actor from the time
| lp ppnnra nrgt mud ,,nlpa hin, a - ht. nuaa
with longing on the closed door Of The ..s,or,s,,
~ ,.'S.n on nv ose uoor .. II stars
ment, whether 1T be large or small, clean or
airty' isht or darN' means prominence.
Only the leader gets into that. Once inside.
u" '"' r ma, - ,no .tnounrannp Jus I NJ -
SAFE. Inc haven has been realized temporarily
question IA tn who shall hsvs the STAG
drsssinn roon ,"s 20 iva .ots,os Haeo-a "
company leaves New York, and a rule has to
be made which will be adhered to in little
RAYS as wei! as IN New York;
Us Gourse;,here are COMPANIES IN which this
sepn Jefferson or William II. Crane are never
Interested IN the question: They take the
contain no acknoSiedseh star. but leading
lWSint{E the S.1 question tsaG bef1r ene there ui IS peSce s'rpE 81,
by the fact us to whether or not either one Of
or she is likely to get It,, But, II the ex-star
doesn't, why no end of STRUGGLING and bicker-
ing Is likely TO follow. sometimes the man or
woman WHO goes ihlo a prouuclloh makes a
success whicl. really entities the actor to be
the star, of the company; Then the trouble
commences: somebody else may have the
the Se" foTtun naGs' nrfor rG %re s treh: a nWav tue t%r esS' t o.
ward the coveted dressing room; Sometimes
Ine nit,"ser rs Wepk ehough 10 erect inc
I the ,successfql one IS really q strenuous
kicker, he Is likely 10 get the dressing room, as
Slur IMAM lose the ACTOR VINO n4u done most Tor
up his mind to listen to the lamentations of the
stars" who play permanently in one thea;
the. their Or a Rsyf any rd ,mi1ss vSrs il 5ea It, %sGStFp Rts sSRsFaa
MansiieLd,s dressing room while he was the
w whichS no IL Ie ssG im nnprtsE w aSto a s dare ps spet ln \
When NJ. Mansfield went away he turned the
KY ky IN the hI oGk and J carried RsS the Key way with VT
wa, te tenn, ;nt absent nntm' a and no pd proiane player a
act At NE theatre IN Inc Queens Neck
i 1weivo times d hnr 70 the eh niag and ndr .b oos mnds
sue IA protest against climbing up a night OF
th "a she h succeeded NC atIsl'i X setting III AiiI into Miss W z
hahs room. Whirh Is on inc ievei OF the stage.
w w hen Gsorsla oaSHan r was a. ho tRe Ly shiub sas
inrnished as a sitting room. WIN "A zen table
ana other hoineiike anJunfts' hnt TINS derH.
are not ora2nasnted VILE anything besides u
l aNn. spots Tb o. t Ercg hos pant ad a or niger smI arsss.
H., o,,u 80, ,ba TI,irt,, oFg,bth 4, .traat siJa 80
ing rooms on the ihirty. eiShth street SIDE OF
the buildinH, ana these are spacious enough t3
Mold q lounge ana other unusual luxurles OF
ttils KIND.
Inc popular laea OF actors dreSslhE rooms
as quantity ana artiSticaily decorateu apart
mchts is llke some other popular lueas, quite
erroneous. y rev wigs ana suspehuers.. oId
clippers anu towels are likely TO constitute
their ohly uetoTa,loli; as a RUE they are m
sufcraDly NOT. Az the 1hrrlck. TOT instance.
most OF them are under the stage. The Empire
has coini4rtaply ventliated rooms on the north
sac OF the theatre. anu th3se az tanners are
chiely IN y residence whlch adJoins tho BACK
or the theatre.
The opera singers rare far better than the
actors IL TINS respect. Their rooms are
large and comfortable. When the season
opens the silger VINO Is 10 occupy the room
has Ills, or her name put on the door, ana TINS
stays tIlerc throughout inc year. Ohnke me
hytorS, theS never nave 70 snar" tneir rooms
with other SINGERS, INC Two De Rcszkes have
Two large rooms one HiHht UP; on the ihirty-
hlnth street sue OF inc DuliaihR. and they