The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-28

Now for the actors continued the
speaker. While on the stage the actor
has sold his birthwright as a personal
and social factor to play a story in
another mans creation. For the time
being he ceases to be himself. A COM
pany of players is like an orchestra
composed of many different instru-
ments; each instrument tells it's own
story, and beside being perfect, must
be perfectly played. But this sacrifice
of the individual part does not neces-
state the sacrifice of the individuality.
On the contrary, only the strong men
play a strong part.
A fertile subject Of discussion is the
relation of the actor to his part. My
own idea is that no actor quite loses
himself or quite forgets the artificiali-
ties of the stage, but each muscle and
tone must be so perfectly elastic and
trained that when the actor has once
decided what to do, he can forget
them and trust to the inspiration of
the moment. Often it is neither pos
sible nor desirable for an actor to be
what he seems. The art of it lies in
presenting the semblance and not the
artificial realism. The whole thing
must be to give the effect of the
truth, not the truth. Old men, for in
stance, seldom take old mems parts,
for, although the young actor has diff
ficulty in retaining his senile voice and
totter the aged man can never be so
fnfirm as his part makes him out, and
to affect a weakness one does not feel
is most wearing. 1t takes great deal
of physical strength to act physical
weakness. 1t is commonly said that
no actor is able to play Juliet until she
is too old to look the part but don't
call an actor too old for a romantic
part until he or she ceases to inspire
you with the illusion of youth. The
question whether an actor shed real
tears is fatuous; the point is, does she
make you and me shed real tears?
AS to the question, how much is the
drama at liberty to take from life, I
should answer: Everything in life is
grist to its mill, provided it be trans
muted into the terms of the drama.
There are no new storles-the only
thing is to tell the old ones over again.
If we tell them with a regard to fact
they make history; If we touch them
with beauty, we make art. He does
the best who touches them with dig
nifty and sweetness.
In point of time the drama bears a
relation to life quite distinct from the
novel, for its duty is to present in two
hours what might take ten hours to
read. OF course the dramatist doesn't
have to describe-you see things done
and that saves time. And because the
drama has to tell long story in a
short time, it cannot use everyday
language, but something more incisive
and brighter and shorter. Again, the
drama must tell everything in pro-
gressive order, for no one has time to
go back, as he has in novel, There
fore the dialogue must be clearer and
sharper than in life or literature.
Then again, it is always well to ideal |
ize the characters, especially in the |
love scenes, which in real life are ant |
to cloy any one who may be a specta- |
tor to them. Poetize your love scenes
make them a little different from the
realistic love scene. see
how in Romeo and Juliet" with a
boy making love from a garden To a
girl in a balcony above and with .
moon in the sky. Shakspere seized nm
on the very flower and heart of love
rhe mission of the drama is to repre-
sent life, but life robbed of it's com
and suffused with in
;piration and aspiration.
Miss Marguerite Merrington lectured
at the Woman's Club, yesterday, under
the auspices of the miscellaneous topics
Mrs. Oscar F. Rawson
chairman. After the meeting, from to