Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-11-08
STAGE FRIGHT
Even Old Actors Are Often Affected BY tn
Malady.

of all the many ills to which theat-
rical flesh is heir to." said an old actor
with the Jessie HarcOurt Co, the
worst is stage fright. This is nothing
less than a species of heart disease, IN
duced by the nervous dread that one
performance may not be successful
This naturally attacks beginners more
often than the old stagers. and yet in
stances are no means isolated where
death has been brought about through
| its evils even in the case of old-timerS.
perhaps, however. the most peculiar
instance of all was that of the veteran
performer who had gone through ~
wears of stage work without experienc-
ing this maady. one night. however
| he confded to fellow-player that
| quite unaccountable nervousness had
| suddenly taken hold of him. and that
he did not think he could ever act
| again.
| His comrade laughed at the notion
and urged him to go on as usual, but
his establishment may we'll be con-
| ceived when the poor old player Went
| on the stage, and. after making seVera
vain efforts to speak. fell back and eN-
pired. The doctor who made the post
mortem examination stated that death
was due to failure of the hearts action
evidently induced by the presence oi
an attack of stage fright.
Death is by no means an infrequent
end to the trouble. and more than one
case has ended fatally. 1t is not al
ways the person whose heart is al
ready who suffers the most. either, for
I ~ he
a young woman. whose heart | knew
| to be perfectly normal, made her pro-
| fessional debut in this city. While
standing in the wings awaiting her
| first cue she was seized with an attack
of stage fright, and trembled violently.
| Not until she heard the line spoken
which was her signal for entrance did
| the make any effort at recover. and
| then. to the surprise of those who were
| trying to get her in shape. she braced
| up and went on the stage as though
| she had been on the board for years
| She went through her part mechani-
| cally and without apparent conscious
ness of her actions. but she played the
| scene better that she had done at re-
| hearsal. At the close of her scene she
| came off the stage. staggered 10 hei
dressing room. and sank unconscious
| to the floor She never recovered
| from her coma, and an autopsy devel-
| oped the fact that she had died of heart
| disease
Several standard authorities quote
| the case of young English aspirant
who came to the theater on the night
of his debuk in state bordering on
nervous prostration. He was braced
up on brandy and given encoura cement
| by those on the stage with him. but
no sooner had he stepped upon the
stage than he clapped his hand upor
his heart. and fell dead The excite
| ment had ruptured the valves of his
| heart and he had ended his career as
was about to begin it.
| "One curious case was told me not
| long ago by one of the physicians il
| New York. A young man. a member
of a college dramatic club. was brought
| there for treatment. He had been cast
| for part in the spring production
| and this extra study. added to the reg
| ular studies imposed by the collegiate
| course. caused something to give way
| On the occasion of the dress rehearsal
| it was found that he could not remem-
| Der line of his part, and this so Wor-
ried him that he broke down. and was
brought here.
For several weeks he could not
speak an intelligent sentence, and then
| suddenly his part came back to him
! and he could go through it. cues and
| all. without a break. For another full
week he kept going through the lines
of his part and then developed a severe
| attack of brain fever. from which he
| came out perfectly rational. but, odd
ly enough. with absolutely no mem
DRY of the lines of the play in ques-
ton.