The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-12-26
CONFEDERATE THEATERs
Illustrations of the Drama In the
south During the Civil War.

pitch OF excitement, anu all fepataOAe actors
found no difficulty III securing exemptions
after the passage of the conscrlpt law.
Among the stars on ths confederate stage IN
those days were II. H. Crisp, the father OF t e
late Speaker Crisp, E. R. Dalton, Theodore
Hamilton, and Sam Hub5 ard. Among the
ladies were Mrs. Crisp, Miss Jennie Crisp
Miss Eloise Bridges, and the Waidron sisters.
Those favorites Of the public appeared before
the footlights in various CT titles, but al a rule
they aiteriated between Richmond and At
lanta.
How the managers got along during that
turbulent period is mystery to me. Night
after night | went to see the popular plays OF
that time, and, coy as was. could not fail
to notice the threadbare raiment of the play
ers and their tawdy tlnsel. All sorts of crude
nlakeshifts had to- lie resorted to in the pro-
duction of stage effects, and some of them
would be lauahabie now. But the people
were patriotic. They felt 1t duty to eu-
courage the drama, and when there was any
lack of attendance on the part of the citizens
it was more that compensated for oy the
large audiences Of officers aud soldiers who
ned in every day.
What were tho plays on the Southern war
time stage? Perhaps the most popular were !:
"Camllle,' 'sfhe Marble Heart Che Ro.
nance of Poor Young Man." "Roila, La
i our dc Nesfey "London ASSURANCE ne
Serious Family" Naval Ensagements,"
cretia Borgia,' "B!ack-Eyed Susan and
others familiar to the theater- goers before the
war. Comedy see med to have tie preference.
The people had SO many serious things TO
worry over that they did,not care for tragedy.
So Shakespeare became 9 back nu;ab Der,
pieces. Yet solne of the confederate theaters
would have been equal to the task OF render
ing Shakespeare. Mr.. Crisp was an actor of
renown, and Dalton and Hamilton were fair
tragedians. Mrs. Crisp and her daughter
possessed rare talent, and half dozen others
note on the stage of today.
Tho last year OF the war found the .theatsrs
lii bad fix. She property nen and mama
gers were in despair. TO dress these stage
ladies and gentlemen in fashion suited to
the1r different roles was an inipossibility.. So
Camille went through her struggles with con-
sumption and other things in front of de-
lighted audiences alfred in costume that
would have been more becoming to her grand
mother, and Rolla looked not only like the
''iastof the Peruvians," but like
a bewildered gentlemen who had
dering where he could get another. Still, the
theaters drew better than ever. People had
rid Of it.
Sometimes it was very ineonvenient to ata
tend these places of Amusement. Soldiers
with muskets and bayonets were stationed
there to preserve order, and when the audi
snce filed out officers were on hand to force
every man to show his papers. frequently, q
young man with his best girl would find that
hs had forgotten his OCCUR ents, and q squad
of soldiers would then escort the two to the
lady's house. and then carry the gentleman
before the provost marshal for an explanation.
N a H.
the prettiest actress in the company would
come out between the acts and recite My
Maryland" or some other war poem, and
wave confederate banner. This feature of
the program always drove the soldiers Wild
With Enthusiasm. few original plays were
Maria Jourdan Westmoreland. of Atlanta,
wrote ''Ths Soldiers Return and John
Davis, an actor, produced '"The Roll of the
Drum'' These dramas had more OF less
merit, but we're not destined to live.
As there were very few stock companies and
teur companies we're organized in nearly every
town. They did not play for gain, but for the
benefit of dick soldiers and for other charit-
able objects. Some Of these amateurs dis
tlnguished themselves, and were heard of on
the stage in after years. One of them was
William Barnes. now OF San francisco, who
has given recitation in hundreds of towns in
he Union.
In Atlanta the theater became trouble
some problem Shortly before the siege. The
city was filled with soldiers and refugees, and
the play was the only amusement, and
the roughs crowded the theater in SUCH num-
bers that the better classes remained at home.
About this time the city gas works had to
shut down because Sherman had cut of the
supply of coal. The theater. therefore used
tallow candles, kerosene being unknown in
that region. This was q picnic for the sol.
diers, Every private in the gallery fastened
bis eyes upon the candle Immediately under
him and coufscated it when the guards we're
not looking. More candles had to he lighted,
sometimes the house would b dark. except
for the footlights. ScandAlous things were
done during these periods of artificial tiwi-
hight. Good people protested, but the city
was becoming camp, and there seemed no
remedy.
just when affairs were coming to their
worst, however, Mayor James M. Calhoun did
what no mayor ever did before in the history
of the world. He issued an order closing the
theater, and pledged himself to use all the
power at his command to keep it closed.
mayor was firm. He admitted that he was
outside of the law but he claimed that it was
case of necesslty-that the rheater must be
closed OF the city would become whirlpool
of vice and crime.
The best people upheld the mayor and the
confederate vice-prssident, Alexander III.
Stephens, ID written opinion, justified his
action. The theater had to suspend indef-
nitely, aud the players packed their things
and departed for other cities.
A few weeks later the citizens we're lodging
shells, for tho seige was on in earnest. The
old +heatsr did not reopen until some of Sher-
mans soldiers gave an entertainment in it,
and when the federals started on their march
to the sea, the building was destroyed in the
fire.
TmunilsOuss Trintfnn.