The times., 1899-06-18
PROMISING AMATEURS
In THE CAPITAL CITY
Future Professionals Enrolled
in the Local Clubs.
Flattering Performances of the
Week Show Their Ability.
How Augustin DAILY Influenced n
Leading Actors Career Chnts
and Chatter of the Thcspians.

impression that the local amateur dra-
matte clubs have among their recruits sew
eral persons well fitted for lives upon tht
professional stage. This statement is mad,
from professional standpoint, with full
| understanding of the demerits of most be-
! ginners in dramatic career, but with {
complete knowledge of the capabilities o
| the young people under discussion. The
advent of an amateur into professional
ranks is invariably met by opposition from
those already earning their bread by the
| dint of their voices and expressions. for
the increase of the number of professional
actors make the lives of those already in
! the work more difficult and the competition
for fame and public appreciation more ar
duous.
Young actors performing before an au-
! dience of their friends have both advan-
/ tages and disadvantages. The sentimental
and friendly feelings of their acquaintances
compel them to overlook many faults
noticeable to those steeled against favorit-
ism. This item in the amateurs favor is
to some degree balanced by the fact that
the friends never consider the character OF
! the impersonator at all. 1t is never Romeo
( or Juliet or Bob Acres, or Captain Abso-
/ Lutte, who makes an entrance or leads up
I to climax; it is John, or Grace, or Ida
/ or VIII. The personality of the actor
| shines through his characterization and
/ no matter how well done is a part, the
/ individuality is omnipotent.
One indication of the promising future
/ in store for these young people is the
| good nature and understanding with which
! they accept criticism: The average re-
viewer knows something or he would not
| be employed by the paper to which he is
1 attached. Local amateurs appear 70 ap-
| preciate this fact. and when their faults
are pointed out to them, they accept the
suggestions in good faith and remedy their
/ defects. AS a rule, this is not so, and the
1 kindly critic reaps only personal dislike
! from his seed of good intentions.
| The Carroll Institute Dramatic Club is
1 the best organization of the amateur class
seen in Washington within recent years.
! Their production of Alabama" the other
evening, while far from faultless, was suf-
! fcientiy commendable to entitie it to
! serious critical consideration. Not en- y
was it correctly and speedily staged, but
] the characters were well drawn and the es-
I sential atmosphere at all times preserved.
/ No one seemed to step out of the picture.
The two Northerners only served to az
centuate the coloring. and had one not
might have sat the evening through and
imagined it was an inferior second-class
Frohman company which faced him. Tee
Friday evening production OF The Riv5ls''
was not as commendable as that OF "A a.
bama' the old-time comedy being 100 prs
tentious to be attempted by amateuts-for
youngsters invariably tackle semsth ng too
heavy to handle. Yet despite this fact.
several of the High School actors prove !
! themselves quite clever. and may BE-
watched with interest.
While appreciating the fact that it is
dangerous to specialize where local people
are concerned, discernment must maik out
a few of those who might seriously con-
slider the stage as a means OF Livelihood.
OF the Carroll Institute Club, Mr.. Walsh.
Miss Alice Irwin, Mr.. O'Connor, Mr.. Muir
ply. Mr.. Mccarthy, Miss Paige, Mr.. SEA-
man, and Mr.. Leach are more than good.
OF the High School aggregation Mis- Eth
elberger and Mr.. Worsley are the best, or
were more fortunately cast The elder
Salvini once said that a good artist must
possess good physical means, sensibility,
education, and discipline. Each of the la
dies and gentlemen named has the first
three essentials and the latter would come
in time and experience. The city which
has given 10 the profession Charles Han
ford, Wilton Lackaye, Harry Gi fol, G les
Shine, Eugenie Blair, Thuriow Bergen, La
Vinia Shannon, ". S. Truesdell. James
Lackaye. Alice Judson, Robert Downing,
Hans Robert, and dozens Of lesser lignts
has in preparation many more of the same
class, both masculine and feminine.
The Amsterdam. which sailed for Europe
| yesterday. carried as one of its passengers
! Paul Wilstach, formerly dramatic editor
of The Times and later press representa-
tive fer the eccentric and artistic Mans
/ field. In note TO a managerial friend in
! Washington. Paul asks advice for his per
sonal conduct during the voyage, saying
| that man who had played so many tank
I dramas" in his house should be
/ upon the subject of seasickness.
/ Mr.. Wilstach will remain abroad
+ for two months, returning to undertake the
! Mansfield advertising again. So satisfied
! has the successful ''Cyrano' been with
! Pauls work during the past two seasons,
that he has secured his agreement TO serve
as a purveyor of publicity for the next five
/ years. In view of the well-known testl-
ness Of the actor. this engagement will be
! taken as the highest recommendation of
efficiency, popularity, and tactfulness.
| Dick Ferris a Washington boy whose
eight years in the dramatic profession have
never permitted him to appear in Washing
ton, was a guest of his friends last week.
| Dick is a good deal of hustler and while
| his name had rarely adorned the pro-
/ grammes of the metropolis or of the East
/ ern cities, a growing bank account per-
mits him to view this lack of professional
| prominence with contented philosophy He
has been the proprietor and guiding spirit
/ of a well-balanced repertoire company for
! the past five years and has treasures stored
/ up where the COWS will not eat them
/ In short, the repertoire business has been
most profitable TO Ferris. In makeup, he
| looks very much like Nat Goodwin-or Nit
! Godwinn-as Sir Henry Irving expresses
| it. From Washington Dick went TO New
/ York to complete his booking for the com
ing season. His company is known as
Ferris comedians, but tackles the best of
melodramas and society plays. Its fa-
/ vorte stamping ground is Ohio, Indiana,
and Illinois. and its reputation increases
in brightness as each year passes.
Whatever may be the verdict regarding
the position of Otis Skinner as 4 romantic
actor three minutes conversation with
him will convince one of his superiority,
intellectually, over the great per cent of
his fellow professionals. lie impresses
one as do only a few strong characters.
with a reserved strength and power His
views are not narrow, and he conyerses
freely and intelligently upon all the uues-
tons of the day as well the various
phases of art and literature. A Times
man had a most pleasant chat with Mr.
Skinner the other evening. refrainng from
the attempt TO lead the conversation into
chosen channels, and rememberin. for
publication only portion of the many
good sentences uttered by the versatile
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