The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-27
TO SUCCEED AS AN ACTOR.
WILLIAM III. CRAVE SAYS WORK IS
TILE MIN RLOUISITE.
re Tells How Hc BcEan nj Nothing n Week
nnd Kent PeEEinE Away. Waiting for liis
chance ana FIttinE Himseir for n when
n cnme-yot Much ''Ginmour, In That.

Nuhhte " EtN''"S
n rAme-Not Much "Ginniour" In That.
Copyright, 1893. S. S. Mcclure Co.
"Wore l not sure that I can play the leading
Indy parts in your pieces bettor than they are
now presented" a young woman wrote to mo
in Chicago q week or two ago, II would not
offer Won nv services. l am living with a re.
fined family as cook, md should you not aRrco
with inc as to my abilities, they would be glad
TO take me back into their service"
II 1 erred in declining to permit this lady to
! substitute Shakespeare for Bacon and eggs
l hone sho will at least infuse into her culinary
career tho Same patience, energy, talent. and
tact which would havc been essential to her
success on the stage. She is ono of hundreds Of
her sox who honor motor | feel 1t to DO an
honor-by asking my advice about life on tho
stage. Many n good cook Is spoiled to make q
bad actress, and the young men who persist in
cmbarking on the theatrical sea after passing
by the tannery or tho ribbon counter won't
mind. I'm sure, II l try to point out 10 others
Just where they are apt to make shipwrcck.
Thirty-hve years of hard work in any profes.
sion ought to make n mans experience valuable
to his fellows. There need BIO no suggestion OF
vanity In telling some OF them where they may
do good. The only thing l am vain Of is hard
work.
Hard work" TO ambitious cars may sound
harsh. The glamour Of tho stage-thorc's no
use making fun of 1t, for 1t cxists-draws toward
tho stage door SO many women who want to
exploit their vanity, SO many men who covet
ready reputation and big salaries, that l somc-
times think there are actually more aspirants for
honors In this profession than in any other
especially than in those, such as law and medi.
cine, where the laws require thorough and sys-
tematio preparation.
Now, young man, or young woman, I'm not
going to preach TO you. l get a good deal Of
fun out of life, even II / am n "leetle Bit past 90
and play under my own hair and my own name.
But l will tell you, my young friends, the hard
work that, according to M theory, is necessary
to success on the stage, no matter how well
equipped you are by nature and education.
Nature did very little for mo. 1 am the first
of my family on the stage. and i got from my
father, who was a mechanic up in Connecticut,
very little except the ability to work and tho
determination to stick to 1t. His name was
Crano, and when, as a boy, 1 made up my mind
that 1 wanted to bean actor, l decided that 1
would still be q Crane. Two never had a stage
name. So 1 started In with no capital, no fine
clothes, 10 special education, and no influence.
I didn't oven have an opportunity, but l thought
one would come II l waited long enough.
had been with the Holman opera company
a good many weeks, at nothing a week. and l
mean it. when my first opportunity came. 1t
was IN NlllltDSTOEI, Iu-, vi loOo. L was Slt-
ting in tho first entrance watching the stage
as had watched it night In and night out,
studying every bit Of business. every change Of
costume, thinking which role ] should like to play
best, when the stage manager told me Bon Hol-
man was i'll. The opera was "SonnaInbula." an
English version, and young Holman had been
singing Illcssio, the basso, q good comedy part.
II can do it," ] said without q moments host.
tation. They al looked at me in establishment,
some in amusement.
"Oh, pshawl" said tho elder Holm IN. you'd
have to be rehcaTsed, and you'd have to learn
the music. We've got to have somebody now"
well, I can do IL now" answered. Il
don't want any rehearsal and l know the
That was true, too, had learned every part
in the piece: sitting there In tho first entrance.
and never missed a Word or a note.
pc Yoq niSb HG as E nrspa!ninE II in l - spDse cSiIa J! e
characters in a protean farce which allied out
FTs.. sit'i s shS n s1RSs5ss bass: SIS G Ssfe know In "p ss.
and the night following sang Derilshoof, with
omt missing & mote Of the sIn music or an a -" ~ but or
ire to resume his place in the company. The
died. l had heard it said that opportunity and
fortune knocked once at every ones door. and I
o esa Fs so my Su tG Is c srHhaa N Sash . G9pnor niSRs
had stood In the wings memorizing lines and
p s,%FS Ga'i to sso Sn my p] sbiiieits. " MoImaR's % ass SRi
gave me my Cpl Ftaniity, AND when parts which
trem6Ie we're thrust into my hand j was. not tho
least biz terrified. When was told would
nisy item to R5a 7 Yd fsHn' thu shG 9a i u sso Of f fsiia9e IT. never SR4
entered my young head; Think of a ,yopngster
being PLUNGED into such par5S as Msphtstoph;;
4rdmmtsin 'setNneila" and Pedro in Gin
derelIal" Yet this is Just what happened to me.
stage managers knowledge and without the aid
OF the manuscripts of the parts.
when I wasn't at tho theatre ] was with them
at their lodgings; never left EN-, and kept
F FL tSe on t tEgtnk to le stad sYsry n naiiif: In SHssGy m p5sSc
ing, instead Of skylarking after tho performance
wSal9 GV ncver r MAKE E' nm musician ,sSS fi / didn't ' Know
the notes. l wanted to be an actor; SO l left
tho Hollnans and went TO dlover,s Theatre and
P RsS q week 1aiFG but an ie Tas satisa fs%'a{; was i E9l 9ihlx
something, all tho time and ! was sitting up
an!i old E GGtISl Il cd RlSHdiS Of p uEini"f e. ysaSs' oa
my eyes to keep 'err open and pcgging away at
day. Not much glamour" about that. ehi
wac taking every chance that came my way
spa e TSS'i pstts fl IN m tho Range i, w os o ffdanfGy srifsS al o6 TN.
cdy, with the hope and on the chance that l
% !a4@. ' i ft@ @eH Ray' lt an n GRRoFif sslaE 5s R :
seven pa Is in a single ~pince-for / couldn't tell
which OF them might get a chance at some day.
many weeks are they willing 10 work at moth
Ing a week with no parti How many years
are they willing TO study, on a mall salary,
with only eIpoctationsi Why. a short time nGo
II yoUn.s m2L in my company objected to under.
studying three or -four parts. ! reasoned with
him, and at last I got mad. thinking Of my own
experience. and I said to BIN:
"My young friend, the last week ] was with
the Hoolcy comedy company / played nine parts
IN four nights" That settled 1t.
Whom / made up my mind TO give up comic
opera and TO devote my life to comedy j realized
that l was giving up a rnGod deal OF cash In
was looking ahead to a prospect OF excellence
and deliberately throwing over an offer to have
my name, printed IN big letters as first come.
that would divide hunors fairly with her.
What s. more. | was giving up Slo5a week for
than half as much.
A good many young mon would take that
extra $50 and Immediate popular favor. But
] think It paid me not To do It. I was ambi-
tiOus. ard ] am more ambitious now. to-day,
than I was then And after married, my wife