The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-08-24

! way behind the scenes. There was no
/ opportunity in ST. Louis. he soon found,
! and he drifted away till he reached New
/ Orleans. After he had persistently an
! noyed the manager of the stock compa-
ny at the st. Charles theater he was al
lowed to play utility parts and supes.
The manager saw no way out of it eX-
cept by resigning.
my greatest disadvantage in those
days was my height. | was so tall be-
side the average actor they couldn't place
me. | got frightfully discouraged after
awhile, and | wrote vaudeville sketch
for myself in the belief that | would
have to quit the legitimate. The very
first part | played was an Indian. 1t
was in play Oliver Doud Byron brought
to the st. Charles. Two years later in
Cincinnati, when | was in Macauey's
stock company, he came there in the
same play. Some other internally tall
man had the Indian then. | chaffed
Byron about his playing the same old
part while l had made some progress in
two years.
"'But directly after | left New Or
leans came to New York and got fore.
man of the jury" in John T. Raymond's
run OF Colonel Sellers" at the Park the
alter. The part consisted of the lines,
I'VE have" and Not guilty" said
them whole season and got $40 week
for doing it. At the same time was
taking n scientific course at the Universe
ty of New York
1.-The next season Gillette did much
better. He got the district attorney in
the Union Square run Of Colonel Sci
by which he profited. People began to
know he was on the stage. After that
he went to the Globe theater in Boston,
where he played numerous small roles
and character bits He spent his spare
time in taking a special course at the
Institute of Technology His next jump
was to Macauley's stock company at Gin
cinnati. and here after two years of
drudgery he got that chance for which
every actor and actress not yet arrived
hopes and prays for with every breath
drawn. 1t is TO have full house, fat
part and to grip both. Every eye in the
audience rivets on your expression, move
and gesture. Every ear is strained to
catch your lines. Every line you say
takes. and when the scene comes-the
great scene that is yours-you hold them
in your power, fascinated. Then you
free them to clap, to stamp, to shout, to
whistle maniacally, which is their graft
tude for the anguish you have laid on
their hearts. Gillette's moment came
entirely by accident.
'Macauley himself played the part
he said. referring to that night, but he
fell i'll. and it was given to me. The play
was from the French and l. believe was
called The Mothers Secret" The piece
was being done at the same time at the
Union Square in New York. The part
was a good one and just in my line. The
people seemed to like the way did it.
and from the after developments it look
ed as though | had made my first real
hit
Somehow it did not interest me as
much as | had expected. You see. | had
been working all that season on my first
play, The Professor" and it was finish
ed just about the same time. | did not
try to do anything for the next two years
except to get The Professor" put on.
And had plenty to do, assure you. FL
nally THE Professor" was produced at
the Madison Square theater June /, 1882
1t ran for six MONTHS"