The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-12-02
THE PLAYER FOLK.

Stage Manager William Parke, Of the z.
f. Sothern Company, has been a very busy
man these past four or I'VE days. Mr..
Parke has been in Washington drilling the
eighty-twO supernumeFaries, commonly
called 'supers.7 for their duties in Mr..
Sothern's play, IF Were King"
Washington is the first city outside Of
New York to see the new piece and a.
the extra players form quite an impor-
tant part of the performance, Mr. Parke
mas been putting in more than ordinary
time in making them perfect in their
work These auxiliary actors have been
at the National Theatre each morning for
Two or three hours every day since Thurs
oSt!, and yesterday afternoon were given
an extra drill and were put through the
PAGES once again this morning. when Mr.
SotheTn and the different members Of his
organization viii be present, and com
plete final rehearsal of the Justin HuntIy
Mccarthy play viii be given, just as it
Will be in the evening. with the exception
OF the costumes.
The Washington young men and women
who have hfstrionie ambitions or a desire
to earn little money we're selected from
some 300 who answered the advertise
ments that appeared in the different pa
pers of the city last Monday.
When Mr.. Parke met the applicants he
was confronted by an odd assortment Of
humanity, ranging from the typical
"hooo' to the society young woman, who
simply "adored Mr. Sothern from across
the fcotlights and wanted to arFear with
his company, even in a humble capacity"
Then there were several students o. To-
cal school of acting, who wanted the ex-
perience OF facing the footlights and car
rying spear while they shouted the
praises OF the King.
From this motley gathering Mr.. Soth-
ems stage manager selected slXty-SeveL
men, eight young ladies' and six children
Each super IS known 10 Mr. PaTke
merely as a mineral For instance, No.
may be a soldier, No. IS may be a cour-
tier, while Lady viii this week have
the honor OF having Cecilia Lotus ad-
dress mumbled remarks to her during the
different ensembles. All the extra women
players who viii appear in II I Were
King are designated by letter Of the
alphabet. They viii each receive IS for
their weeks labor, while the men viii be
paid 50 cents for each performance Some
of them are terribly in earnest IN their
acting out" although a few look on their
assault upon Art with no little amUse-
ment.
Tonights audience will view the efforts
Of these amateur Thespi2ns with consid-
cradle interest as they represent the
largest army of <'supers" that has been
employed on a Washington stage for
some LlIIG- ana stage Manager taEEG
promises they viii not commit any OF thu
glIriBg errors common 10 their class II
productions Of the order OF 8Ir. SOJheTn's.
He has Instructed each soldier as TO the
proper angle at which he shall carry his
trI- = weapon and the mob has been suf-
fcientIy trained in uttering omiDOus cries,
TO encourage Mr. Parke to believe that
his force OF extras in Washington VIII
compare quite favGrabIy with those who
assisted IN the presentation of II I We're
King" in New York
In Baltimore, during Joseph JeTerson's
engagement, Chistie Mcdonald. WHO, in
private lie IS Mrs William Winter Jefer-
son, won many words OF praise for her ex-
cellent work as Bertha, the blind girl IN
The Cricket on the Hearth
Miss Mcdonald was visiting her hts
band during the Baltimore week and when
Blanche Bender. who is Mrs Joseph JET
ferson when away from the theatre. was
suddenly taken III and could not appear,
she volunteered to do the best she could
IN the role It was the first time she had
ever essayed a part IL a serious work. but
with only q single hours pTepaTatI ton. she
scored an emphatic hit.
An old friend OF Joseph jefferson. after
seeing Miss Bender play Bertha one night
and Miss Mcdonald the nexT. said. IN
the Jefferson family. art moves in q Iays-
ferrous way its wonders 10 perform