Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-12-11
CHRISTMAS
AMONG THE
PLAYER FOLK.

There are very few among the thou-
sands of persons in this country VINO
earn their living by acting VINO LOOK
forward to the gladstone holiday season
with pleasurable anticipations. 10 the
actor Christmas does not mean Gay
of rest, with the good cheer thereto ap-
pertaining. On the contrary, 1t means
for the people of the stage extra WORK
for the entertainment OF the more Ior-
tunate beings who devote the day 10
enioying themselves and giving peas
ure to everybody with whom they nap
pen to be brought in contact-exceptlns
only the actors.
For, be it known, there are lnvarla-
bly, two performances on Christmas,
one in the afternoon and the other al
night AS actors are only ordinary
mortals after all and are prone to In
dulge on Christmas eve in the SEDUCTIVE
egg-nog certainly to no less extent
than their nonprofessioned brothers
and sisters their heads are sometimes
in that condition for which rest and
sleep are the only cures. and that, too,
about the time when they must start
lOE Zig LucttIlS LII tiAC iiiAS'ANS 20
Torrance. In such cases the hardship
is additionally great.
But, after all, the actor, male or fe-
male, is the greatest optimist In the
world, and the condition which can
cause him or her to become downheart-
ed must be grave one indeed. Their
fore the day Of days among the holl-
days is regarded by the prople OF the
stage with a calm equanimity, and
they proceed to enjoy it as nearly like
other folks as their peculiar and cir
cumscribed environment will permit.
There is in almost every road Coz
pany Christmas tree the night before
the holiday. This is prepared in ad-
vance, of course, and after the even
ing performance 1t is pushed out to the
centre of the stage, and the fun begins.
There are presents for every one, in
Guiding the stage hands, for show peo-
Ple'' are as generous as they are i'm
DrOVident, and tndC member OF the COM
pany who repairs to the hotel at the
conclusion of the festivities with less
than half dozen gifts must be very
unpopular individual with his fellows.
Egg-nog has been known to occur at
these Thespian Publications, and there
is usually a good deal more Of the nog
than of the egg in the beverage which
is served under the old familiar title.
The landlord of the hotel or boarding
house at which the troupe" happens 70
be stopping always lays himself out
to provide a fine Christmas dinner for
the actors. Usually, too, he succeeds,
for actors are so used to poor fare on
4 Of hrn frOrp
the dull rouune Is welcomed gieefully
1t is not unusual for the boniface to let
it be known to the toWnspeople that the
players will have their Christmas din
ner at certain hour, so that those OF
the young men of the place who aspire
to being considered blase and well post
ed as to the affairs of the stage may
have an opportunity to invest thelI
half dollars, or dollars, as the case
may be, in a repast with real actors.
After dinner, which on the road IL
usually partaken of about midday
there is a great hustle for the theatre
so that the players may have time tc
dress for the mhtinee performance
After that the hotes furnishes a goot
supper 1t is usually made up of what
is left from the midday meal, but 1t Ii
such an immense improvement upor
what is generally served that the ac-
tors pleasure is manifested by Jolly
ing the landlord into the belief thai
he is about the best fellow in the whole
wide world.
Sometimes there are presents from
home for the players, but 1t is seldom
that the express companies are embar'
raised by the volume of business In
that line. Some theatrical organiZa'
| lions with liberal arrangements fare
| extremely well at Christmas time u
they should not happen to be laying
off, for the week, as is too frequently
the case, but of all road" companies
those who find Christmas most pleas
ant are the repertory people. They re
main in the very small towns not les
| than Q week at a time, and as they g
back year after year they make ac
| quaintances in the different places Wis
| tied, and an invitation TO dinner OF
Christmas from resident is not at al
uncommon. 1t may be added that 1t i
| almost always accepted.
To the credit of the actor folk be i
said that any child member of com
pany is always well provided for a
| Christmas time. All Of the performer
| make it point to give some present Il
/ the little one, thereby demonstrating
what is so generally known to thos'
who are closely affiliated with the the
alter, that, whatever actors are not, the.
are generous in the extreme.
| pbo+o Alhunns Family and Teachers