El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-29
THEATRE TOPICS.
SAYINGS AND DOINGS OF THE
PLAYERFOLK
viola Allen Says That Actresses, Like
People in Other Great Professions
Are Born, Not Made - Edward f
Rice's Latest Ventures.

Edward E. Rice hobs up serenely
again, this time as an adapter Of anna
teur workmanship with professional
craftsmen, if you can catch the mean
ing, for Captain Kidd, U. S. NJ" is
to be lifted from its environment OF
amateurdom with a social flavor be-
hind it, and will be put on the plane
Of professionalism. The play writ by
college man is to be interpreted by
men and women who follow the stage
as method of livelihood. And kind
ly note how much of the original dia-
logue Of Captain Kidd is left when
the fine Italian hand of E. E. Rice has
passed over it.
For all that Edward Rice needs for
burlesque is the ground work. His
fertile fancy can make an evenings
entertainment out Of anything under
the sun merely by throwing in cal
ciums, music, songs, tights and ANA
zon marches. He's a believer in the
eternal feminine and her potent draw
ing power. In the old days, Rice
burlesQue meant the seeing of the
prettiest women in the most ravishing
Of costumes, meant an aggregation of
feminine loneliness unmatched by any
other collection in existence, And
from the burlesque ranks of the Rice
choruses in years gone by have sprung
into favor a full score of actresses
whose names today are printed in big
letters on dead walls and fences. Some
Of the women had merit, some merely
pretty faces and well-turned ankles.
And it's about a toss up as to which
Of the two classes got out of the chorus
and into stardom the quicker.
A true actress is born. not made,
writes Viola Allen in Ladies' Home
Journal. The chief qualities which
she must possess are born with her;
she must have health, strength,
good physique, brains, aptitude, i'm
aginatfon, memory, and judgment;
these aside from generous share OF
instructive talent and good guam
tity of that indescribable and indie
Enable something which we call mag
netism. 1 have not placed personal
beauty in the category of essentials,
because it is not an essential. but an
undisputed aid. In an educational
way an actress can scarcely have too
thorough, too broad. or too complete
mental basis to begin with, and with
it a desire to learn and constantly
learn as she progresses. The very
least she can do with is the best Of
common school educations, and with
this a knowledge of the languages
French at least. She must have an
aptness for music. as she is liable at
any time to be called upon in some
81 ~.1o 81 nd
dancing add to her grace, but these
may be acquired and used as demand
ed. And, not least of all, the voice of
the girl who aspires to become an
actress must not only be carefully
trained, but its use must be under
stood. There are so many natural
qualifications which are so indispens-
able to the actress that the profession
Of the stage becomes to a woman one
of the most difficult which she can
undertake. A young woman planning
for herself a career as an actress can
not examine her natural qualifications
too closely, for upon these, and not so
much the cultivated qualities, must
she depend for true success after all.
The actress has little time for So
cial life. The more successful she is,
the less leisure she has, and the great
er inroads her work makes upon her
time and strength. 1t is often a gen.
uine regret to have to decline much of
the delightful hospitality extended to
her, but this is a denial she must urge
upon herself, according to her own
good Judgment, whether it must al
ways be work first and play after
ward. She has no right to come to her
evenings work tagged and tired from
q round Of teas and calls. She in
1Hz2asse s~s.