Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-13

He will do, / guess, If he will keep
sober dryiy comments the manager.
After some further talk the list on the
agents desk looks something like this:
The Necessary Talent
BRISKLY COMPANY.
Leading Man-Tali, brawny, blond. ac-
robat %.
Leading Lady-Handsome, good dresser
Sings a song In first and third acts.
Soubrette-Banjo and dancing Niger boy
Cake care of child p.
MISUNDERSTANDING. Spanish accent.
Comedian-Filed.
character-Tall. thin. Musical instru-
ment
Character-Bowery boy (Chuck ConnorD
Heavy-Also stage manager.
Adventuress-Airs. Briskly.
Juvenile-Small part, small pay; serves
also as property man.
Little Girl-Must travel without mother
to save expenses; Will be taken care of by
sUubrette.
After the interview with the manager
Mr.. Urgent takes down his books contain
ing the names and addresses of all his
actor clients, arranged according To the
work they do, and selects therefrom the
names Of people most likely to mn the re-
quirements. To these he sends postal
cards. requesting them to cali at his Of
flee.
Early next morning and long before the
a rival of the agent the chairs in his ante
rom are occupied by all sorts and coudi-
tons of players, and groups Of them are
standing about discussing the gravest Qaes-
tons OF the day, with the refreshing in
genuousnoss that only an actors subjective
view can lend to a question OF political
economy, or to a knotty problem anent the
FRANCES Of a great nation. The ladies'
present preserve all the punctilio of social
etiquette toward one another but relax
considerably in their manner toward the
men. Greetings are exchanged between the
new arrivals and those who have been
waiting, and as their number increases the
spirits rise, until it would take but little
mere than a lively tune played by hand
organ to set them all a-dancing.
Yet there are many among them who
have not as yet broken the fast of the night
before. and TO whom dinner is a cOnuDdrum
TO be solved by chance.
The inprovidence of the average player
is such that, of even the best paid of them,
only small percentage have laid by sufli-
c!ent money TO tide them over the two dull
months between seasons, and il is safe To
say that but $50 of the 10000 actors in
America have amassed a sufficient compe-
tency to lay or during the summer
months. The greater majority of the others
depend upon summer snaps; lie, engage
ments with companies playing at watering
places. and a large number of them starve
gerteelly their ability at dissimula-
ton will admit of.
Now the Manager.
Upon his arrival the agent briefly out
lines the requirements of the different parts
to the several aspirants separately, and the
preliminaries being satisfactory, he directs
them TO the manager with a short note Of
Introduction
Sometimes the manager appoints an hour
at which to meet his prospective employees
at the agents office; more frequently he
receives their calls at his own Offices or at
some theater. He inquiries very closely in
to their past Stage experience, looks at pho
tographs of them in costume TO determine
whether they dress well and what sort Of
stage presence they possess. Finally the
question OF salary Is discussed. The fol-
lowing list OF remunerations applies APP
proximately to road companies of the past
season: