The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-30

Although he has all army OF assistants,
the responsibility for the Designing and
yainting of new scenery and the care ana
preservation of old, the manufacture and
painting of settings and properties, their
stag arrangement, III fact tn" entire pc
torlal side OF the opera a. produced az the
METROPOLITAN, j. IN the ha!.ds Of one man.
That man is Homer Emsn>, one OF the
best known scene painters III thls country,
Mr. Emrr. j. known better by his work
than by his name, for during the past M
teen years the stage settings OF almost all
the big scenic productions, especially those
Of a historical nature. have been the Work
of his hand.
All day long Mr. Emens and his assist
ants work away in the opera house anu III
the studio and Htorcholisc which the tfau
COMPANY has built on West forticth street,
lust west of seventh avenue. Al night
when an opera l. being produced r'low
them, Nj. kmeEs and his men soinc-
times stand ON their bridge, Sixty iec' III
the air painting away al drops aud scenes
and only stopping when a darkened stage
for the production below them makes II
| necessary for them To hide their lights too,
Scene painting rs it is done for produc-
| lions at the Metropolitan Is slow woIk'
| and when there l. a sudden demand ior
| new scenery, which happens not lnire-
| uueutly, II necessitates this working nght
| over performance of grand opera, winch
| three or four thousand per- oil- are Watching
All large pieces Of scenery have To be
| PAINTED ia the same way. Az 'he extreme
| rear of the Metropolitan stage, away up
| in the fie, l. the scene painters bridge.
, R.tvc,u il and the rear wall of the building
| /. about "A foot of room. The root Is tWeh'y
| feet higher than the bridge, the moor OF
the stage sixty feet below.
Canvas-e- OF drops are fastened to rope :
which go around rulieys al the iool, ana
| th. mere touching OF a third rope II sum
| e. haul norton oil fnp frame nt
| drop TO A level with the painter bridge
where il can be w-.ked upon. lhis l.
IA, manner in which large pieces OF scenery
are painted. and at the Metropohtan tiit
make drops a. large a. AZ by 20 feet III Tim
way " ..
Incidentally, the operating of he tity o.
more drops that hover over the Metro
politau stage is an interesting thlng. IN
! men " no work these drops STAND III nv ~
/ gallery running az riRht angles TO I'm
PAINTERS bridge and under their feet ar
~. many rop,s a. one would find in tn
rigging of a clipper ship, An intimat
| acquaintance with each OF these ropes
. necessary To su'cts-iul oi@,a'ion ol WI
, drops, but the men at the Meuopolita
, have mastered them and there Is neve
a hitch in their work.
I When one sees from the audience tn
smooth and oven running up OF dropscen'
there is no doubt in his mihd tha' y u ool'
!. either bv machinery or by perfect sy'
" tom of counter weights As matter {
= fact, the hauling up of the drops at III
Metropolitan is not done IN either way.
-. When a drop i, to come up, man steT
!, of a gallery eighty feet over the stag
;. riutChiup al the rope tina, controls tia
~ drop Have YOU ever noticed that thee
q -ccnr. start mp very slowly, bu, gradual
/, | increase in speed?
: That is because high up in the flies
II man has suspended himself 10y the ro'
and os soon as he has sunk below the lev
If &c No gallery from which he stepped, a