The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-05-04

w mally announced that he
a. will never again appear be-
fore the curtain in the
alter. He did not intend to
convey the idea that he was taking his
farewell of the stage or would abandon
dramatic work. but that hereafter he
did not intend to sacrifice illu ons by
accepting the compliment of curtain
calls.
No person whose intelligence and ana
1ytic qualities rise superior to primeva
man whacking his tontom will contend
that Gillette is not right. The sight Of
a stage favorite emerging from a stage
picture and destroying the effect of a
good scene by dropping an assumed
character to recognize the applause
evoked by artistic merit in the portray
al. very often the creation, of such a
character, naturally initiates the senSi-
tive person who goes to a theater for
the sake of the illusion which is afford
ed by dramatic art in all its aspects.
Especially is it offensive in plays of a
tragic or serious nature. The spell gen.
Grated by the spirit of the play is broken;
one drops from the exalted plane of i'm
agination to the prosaic level of things
ordinary; it is antithetic to Elusive at
mosphere and rob histrionic effort of
the glamor it should have for the observ-
er in order to stimulate his sympathetic
qualities or arouse a spirit of censure or
criticism, without Which no play can in
the truest sense be enjoyed; it simply
causes the cold waves of Misrepresentation
and disgust to undulate along his spinal
column.
THE Highwayman.'
Not long ago The Hiehwayman"
was produced at the Grand by a very
capable company The efforts of the
player folk comprising this company
We're so thoroughly appreciated by the
audience that the applause in several
instances was responded to by Them. Up
went the curtain and there .hay stood
hand in hand. bowling their acknowl-
edgements of the compliments given by
the SPECTATORS.
They doubtless meant Well--their ac-
ton was taken principally out of defer
ence to the desire of the specta tors. Yet
1t destroyed the illusion of the play, and
ii was the illusion produced by the per-
torrance which was responsible for the
curtain call. The spell was broken AMI
until the illusion was again created in
the minds of the audience a true ar-
probation of the play or the PERFORM
ers was out of the question.
Not so very long ago Richard Golden
appeared before the curtain at the Grand
and made set speech. defending the
practice of responding to curtain calls,
though he admitted that it had a GER
tain notwithstanding" effect. In con-
trast to Golden's plea for popularity
take the sensible protest made by Gill
lette. One thought he had tact. the other
showed courage: one subordinated go I'd
work to Self-pride. the other made.
vanity secondary to the meritorious per-
formance giving vanity its basis,
The habit has become a nuisance to the
bettereducated class of theater-goers
and should be stopped. When actors
and actresses add psychology to the list
of their studies it will stop. Until then
the public must at intervals grin and
bear it.
Mansfield as Satirist.
Whe nRichard Mansfield gave the fol-
lowing advice to some dramatic students
in New York about two weeks ago he
must have chuckled in his sleeve:
Don't be eccentric. Don't try to be
eccentric. Give swing to your geniu,
only in your work. Don't try to further
yourself With pose-by long hair or
an odd manner of speech or strange at
VIZ AACiS 10 itciiS Io ileCtSSltS LOT an
actor, a painted, or poet to wear his
hair long. He can probably do his work
just we'll in short hair. When a ma,
has recourse to eccentricities of ores.
and manner it is an outward and visible.
sign of an inward and invisible con
fession of weakness.
J have often wondered why Is wa.
absolutely necessary for certain pai1,-
,f
Jackets and red necktes. Don't imas.
inc that YOU are different from the rest
of the world because you are an acsor
on trying to be one. You are simply a
person pursuing d profession, and, there's
fore, leave your stage manners and yo.r
wig and your costume where they be-
long, and walk into the street like a
quiet. unobtlusive gentleman. Grea,
humility of attire is just as conspicu-
Gus as oversigETA ETA ETA ETA EFT
Gus as overdressing. The man who goes
to IA dinner in a business suit is lust
as hlamable as the preson who attends
morning function in full evening
dress~unless, Of course, he happens to
be coming home.
You cannot succeed on tn stage
Without work. You cannot spend the
udss III pea anu the nights carOuSlng
More women succeed on the stage be-
cause they are more in earnest, harder
workers more courageous, and morn
temperate than the average man. Moth
ing hinders a woman on the stage but
plain looks and matrimony
And now I will say, finally, you CAM
be taught to act. No amount of lectur.
ing can make an actor. \ man with tn,
talent, the genius, the qualifications fol
the stage must learn his rudiments, bu
you may teach two men your rudiments
and tha one will bocona .H.or III