The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-03
A LIFE CLASS In ACTING.
DRAMATIC STUDENTS VINO PER-
FORM SIX ETCHES FROM LIPE.
Mr.. r-e.b-ey'- Move, method or Trn,n,-s

empty orchestra chairs. The auditorium wa
dark. and only the stage was lighted by two
punches OF gus burners. Although there wa
but one spectator sitting down In the dark
ness to watch tho people on the stage. theJ
were rs intently Interested in what he thought
OF their actions as II thoy we're facing ar
audience that crowded the theatre. The
young people were students of acting, and their
solitary spectator was the man who gives them
their daily lesson in a certain branch Of their
work. This particular part of their propara-
tion Is known HI the life study. 1t consists in
the application Of a theory already in use in
other arts to tho profession Of acting. 1t
makes the young people who study 1t not only
skilful imitators of nature, but also in a way
the creators of what Is in It's essence a little
play. This will be understood when IL IL
seen what they are called on to do under the
direction of their Instructor, Eugene w. Pres.
brcy, who first devised this method OF life
study and bcgan. to use 1t In the preparation
Of actors for the stage.
Mr.. Presbrey ut one time studied art. and
he learned to take his models from nature. He
was taught that the artist who painted what
he had not seen himself was never likely to DO
either a very true or n very great artist. When
he In time became a teacher of acting and one
of the staff of Franklin Sargent's American
'NHS' W aAN 80 - AN " "
with his students a method of instruction SIM
liar to that followed by artists. He decided
that his pupils should give MIN studies from
life, just as the artist who paints a tree or a
cloud does 1t best when he makes the actual
object his model.
The students were told to observe for them
selves, and TO bring into the lie class some
bit out of actual life which they had witnessed
and watched closely enough to reproduce
accurately. Beginners had easy tasks. They
could observe, for instance. among the pas
sengers o! a cable car as many different poses
of the hand as the various people exhibited.
They might study the feet, or any attitude of
the body, and so long as they were ablc to re-
produce IL we'll 1t mattered nothing how modest
the effort was. The principle which they were
to follow was that their observation must
really be Of real life. They were required to
bring into the class some one human action
which they had seen and studied and were
able TO reproduce themselves. AS they ad-
vanced In facility, these exercises could be-
as complicated as the student wanted
to make them. Sometimes a scene which en-
three or four of them was brought in
by the students; and the girls in particular
monologues or panton!mes.
After they have been doing this for a while.
dramatic form, That is to say, that how.
ever slight the sketches may be they have q
beginning, a middle, and an end, and they are
their quality may be, they are at
least taken from life and they are represented
without establishment or Improvement
by their instructor. Nor are they criticised
ntarr o IN ~ 1fe n. s. s,9sd ! 5 or it their ,f delivery.
loSue or imitation before his fellows, and 1t is
heir good opinion as well as that Of his In.
students are not always conscientious and
they come into the life class with
heir own Observation-Disclosures imaginary.
o sI, Or rake d. The pensits in such such cases cases
han 1t is likely to fool the other students,
"hS are quick to detect:an imposition.
ley would Ib' be called "@ on to h"o DO. The Si b MhS;
ut t the class Lass 50 90 many IS, studies q in the course
and although every student has
lone some one particularly well. there is a
:irl called last week at this particular lesson
rather short. pink checked, and dressed in
erial that fell to her feet.
Miss Smith ther name wasn't Smith, atti-
udes or the hand. please said Mr.. Presbrey.
Miss Smith arose from her chair in the semi
ircle and stepped forward to the centre of the
he right was posed in every possible posi-
ion. Then the right and the left came to;
'I prote st lon, folded '' in ppa w an Crossed rals in
ntrcaty. and, put through every movement
Ihich could be taken to express emotion as
Hiss smith had finished, a young man was
allied out by Mr., Presbrey. His exercise
ons. as he had observed them. Stepping to
he back of the stage. he first tottered forward
AZ y < p per"iytio he ana had .dee seem came 1l an In f Por
lustration next ard then a dude. and sew
, Sar o slTi fo tty ydssd Of T,w walking Ing were shown. An.
dior and an expression Of pp~ihlegmatic content
as as 'u adept as any Of her S assoeiat tnss wR See
lr. Presorey asked her to represent the vari-
US Sttitudes of a person listening ]intently to
er lips. listened standing up, and then sitting
own, and altogether gave IA very attractive
Ike when she's listening hard. One young man
Inhibited q number of ~postures that repre-
. f"i indiv Eiusfs" and dese d%ifferent e circa ana msao
mother showed the difficulty n man has when
e tries to sew on a button for himself, and
presentation of a man throwing snowballs.
ls pantomime sketches came to an end.
nat IA tall black haired girl with a slim. grace
Il ! figure and ND a tiuffy black bang stepped up to
le wanted TO do, though, and before she sat
at a table, which was going to serve her
lite of hlackness. it, assumed something OF
IL form of Paderewski's couture. Then she
Inflated the pianist, admirably, too, copied
Is manperisms in bowling, to the audience,
Id In the use Of his hands she succeeded In
some of his peculiarities. The stu,
recognized them Immediately, although
lie girl had no assistance beyond her own
lwer OF imitation. She was In ordinary
rect dress, and was banging on IA table. but
was force enough in the sketch to make
recognizable Immediately, When she had
me this she nursed an imaginary baby in ]
n arms. put II to sleep, and then laid It In I'm
l3ginary cradle. Next "a pretty red headed 5
RI, with Il pink and white skin. gave a very I
ever sketch of an old student at a dramatic I
hool-at a rural dramatic school 1t was in ]
is case-who had been graduated and had s
,emnloyment on the road rs the lead I
g lady In ''The Galley Slave and then came !
Ick to patronizo her old school fellows. II '
as a very, complete, we'll rounded. little J
etch, and the actress conveyed well the idea
the woman's atiectation and condescension.
1t was full of points which the students en-
yed, and, like the rest OF the sketches. was
.tirely the a~ltress's work. So was another
essing room ldyl told by a pretty blonde
no had borrowed a comb and broken il, and
rs involved in tho turmoil of dressing A. a
p~ernumerary's room in a hurry. This r
me girl, who perhaps. more than any of the q