The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-08-10

There is no need for me to speak oil
my career. I do not wish to talk OF
| myself OF many things converse car
/ be held, and if you think any one is in.
terested in what | may say, the words
are for you to use. I have been termed
natural and unnatural. Now, what is
nature in the theater? If we are to act
upon the curious advice of some of our
friends and play Shakespeare without
scenery and just announce This is a
wood" or This is palace" and there
by tell deliberate tarradiddle, is that
nature? I think not. Nature unadorn-
ed, we have it on authority, is the best.
But all will agree that it is best not
to carry that smile too far. We who
present so many hours traffic on the
stage of the masterpiece of the world S
literature, strive for the poetic and
true. We do not seek for meretricious
show. We desire to let the playgoer
see the play as it should be, and there
fore we mount it as we'll, and as ac-
curately as we can.
AS to acting? Well, what is acting?
Is an actor born? Perhaps; he is not
exactly made, yet many actors have
been made out of unpromising mate
rial. The point is that man who feels
he Isl an actor almost invariably sue
ceeds in convincing others that he is
right. So much depends upon tempera-
ment. Every actor who plays tragic
parts has his theory about Hamlet.
Every man who thinks is Hamlet.
Hamlet was vacillating thinker, q
dreamer, person of inaction, who, like
SO many of us rnortals, meant well, but,
practically, did not achieve overmuch.
So. every actor who essays the part on
the stage, being somewhat of a think
er himself, plays Hamlet as he feels
him; and the part can be played a
| hundred--nay, q Observation-Disclosures
ways. And no one can say whether
any one particular reading is right or
wrong; because we each and all judge
the part from our inward temperament
and theory, and crticise accordingly.
| By the way, this Baconian history. T
believe it is not dead yet. Hamlet was
| the creation of a poet; Othello was the
creation of poet and dramatist COM
bined, and the dramatist was an ac-
| tor. There are certain situations in
Othello that could have only been born
and nurtured in an actors brain All
the nonsense about Bacon being the
author of Shakespeare's plays is only
food for laughter. The egg, pardon me,
has been badly Matched. Tennyson said
finely, In a discussion upon the sub
ject--for he was worshipper Of Shake
speare-"Some of these folk would
pluck the laure1s off the brow of the
dead Christ. Shakespeare" added Ten
nyson, was the master. To him bow,
as all men bow who appreciate all that
was that is, transcendenta in the 4
genius of mani"
/ do not pretend to teach my fellows
what acting is, for acting is greatly an
outcome and example of temperament
To speak the words as they are set
down-yes, that is right, but each man
must deliver them as he feels them, as
he apprehends that they should be
SPOKEN. He must get into the part and
portray as much of it as he can ex-
press, Each man reads part as he /
sees it. Forty different men will act
one part forty different ways and all |
may be good renderings. Temperament, /
temperament, temperament-that is /
the beginning and the end. You need +
not term II the artistic temperament, {
but call 1t the natural temperament, |
because every mans temperament is
natural to himself. To criticise an ac-
tor and play, little knowledge of the
details of the methods and the art of |
the player would not be amiss. To
speak naturally, conversationally, and
yet so that every one in a large house
may hear you is not so easy a matter
as may seem. Forty years ago Charles
Mathews then not so young as some
who have the privilege to sit In judg-
ment at the present day, taught me a
lesson, He always talked as though his
speeches were converse ton, and con-
sequently charmed everybody, and Gre
ated for himself high position as a
natural actor.
If a girl wants to study acting, let
her study an actress like Ellen Terry.
who is school in herself But the
most brilliant youth of either sex cam
not hope to achieve thea triea fame
without work, work, and again work
Young actors who want to learn should
watch good acting. When not engaged
.hey should see every performance they :
,an and If they are at work and only
playing minor parts, let them observe
heir brothers and not initiate them,
out improve upon them if they can.
Tradition is sometimes excellent. es-
oscially tradition of manners and GUS
oms but let not tradition hamper us
90 much. Traditions In acting, robbed /
VI the spirit that created them, are ant !
o be inischievous. What was natural !
o the creator Is often lifeless in the {
mitator. Each man plays his part ac- {
ording to his lights, and the effect :
hat one actor may achieve by the sim {
'lest expedients another may have to {
abor for elaborate his details, even ex- ,
ggerate, and yet be highly successful
t is all temperament Study detail be c
incere and natural, and follow your r
only don't let either over G
MASTER you. c
ID