The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-09-26
THE PLAYER FOLK

Frank Daniels. who is 10 return TO
Washington next week IN Miss Sim
pIicity" a the Columbia Theater, was
recently asked to express his views for
q symposium OF ideas OF leading actors
| on the subject Of The Relation OF the
Actor 10 His Audience"
Every player who contributed an ar
tIcle- with the single exception Of Mr.
! Daniels. insisted that the success Of q
/ performance depended almost wholly
upon the disposition and attitude Of the
audience
These actors said that, if the people in
an audience were cold ard Unrcsponsive.
they had no one but themselves 20 blame
II the players did not put forth their
/ best work
Frank Daniels view of the question
Is interesting. because il was the direct
opposite Of this He said.
The player has no right to demand
/ or expect anything in tire way OF
warmth inspiration, or assistance from
I bis audience. All views expressive or
how much q cold audience is TO blame
{ for poor performance are arrived at
/ by way OF logic cut on a has edge L
IS true that no player car do his best
/ before consistently uuresponsfve audi
ence. But il is the players or the play
and not the audience thar is to blame for
the UnrespO1siveness
No audience. barring the typical
Broadway frst-Hight Death Watch
! ever assembled with the wiIIful purpose
Of sitting right down to be cold for two
aad q half hours. IF a company OF PLAY
eFs hnds itself confronted with a house
{ III! CT people wrapped in an atmosphere
OF trapped and unThaWable gloom. the
only fair conclusion TO be drawn is that
these people are not getting whaE thew
expected. and The player with an undis-
torted mental equipment will realize.
without being hit on the meduIa obIon-
gaia with critics bIudgeon. that the
low temperature responsible for The
. iroSt blows, not toward the stage but
from it.
1t Is the audience that has the right
/ 10 do all there is 10 be done in the way
OF demanding and expecting II is
me audience that is buying. and the
players must deliver the goods The
audience has paid good money 70 he
amused and TO be made responsive.
In accepting his share Of this money
I me player IS under obligations 10 fur
nish the amusement There IS no fine
t!pe on the theater ticket STIMULATING
mat the audience Is to- supply the play
eIS with inspiration But the inspiration
VIII be forthcoming fast enough Z the
player does his work well
II Is only by accepting for himself all
'ne blame for a cold audience that a
player can logically feel any satisfaction
II the face of an audience that is en-
Tim Murphy, the Washington actor. is
this season meeting with gratifying
favor in "Old Ignorance. This is ar
adaptation from the French of Les
Petits OlseauX," the sam,s source from,
which Sydney GTundy took his famous
Pair OF Spectacles." Mr.. Murubv
plays the role which made John Hare
The Wheatcro1 dramatic students
have three short plays by Paul Wilsracb
in rehearsal The first OF these.
bridget, VIII he presented at the Mad
TENDER 80.
From ali accounts Richard Mansfield
IS going 10 suFpaes any of his prsvio,,s
achievements in his forthcornfna. pre-
sentation Of Shakespeare's Julius Cae-
sar-"
He went to England Immediately Al
tue close of his1Iast season. and there
the production was begun and finished in
every detail The most expert archie
oiogisJs- historians and Painters con
tributed 10 the perfection of the SYM
metry and correctness Of the pageantrv
Of this superb play.
There has been an unfounded report
that Mr. Mansfield had brought Mr.
Trees production of Julius Caesar %
This is denied. Mr. Trees production is
still intact at his theater in London. and
Ir. MansfeId's was made By different
artists from entirely different models.
Mr. Mansfield has no intention Of pIav-
ing any other role than than that OF
BTutus. This was the role which en-
Gagged the genius Of MaC-eady. Davenport
and Booth. The German tragedians al /
ways select. this role. II is the one
psychological and retrospective role Of
the play and should inspire a lofty ex-
preston OF the Mansfield genius.
Nj Mansfield viii first produce Julius /
Caesar" October Is at the Grand ODera /
House, Chicago.
Taking everything into consideration.
II appears that about the biggest and
most important object looming upon the