Omaha daily bee., 1902-05-18
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OF himself. II is not, perhaps, even what
he would choose to have said, for the
pride that he feels builds itself wholly upon
the things he has done. not upon him, the
man. But in recent years people have come
to hove a very fair knowledge Of those ac-
complishments while possessing only a
meagre knowledge of the man, and the
latter is for them quite as interesting a
topic as the former. We must confess, too,
that one who visits this actor in his car
for an hour. comes forth y~earning to fire a
few shots OF his own at skulking Rumor,
the craven that has put in false light the
methods and motives Of so many Of those
men who, having both ambition and
courage, have dared to be Uncommon.
Just now Mansfield is hard at work,
preparing to produce Julius Caesar" next
season for a first time. When he returns
from abroad early in the fall he will stage
1t and Richard ILL.," Merchant Of Venice"
and Macbeth" the four to constitute a
repertoire for the tour OF 19O2-O3. 1t
has been reported that for the next sea-
son, that Of 10000 he plans a stu
pendous production of "Herod," but his
own statement is that he has no plans
reaching SO far ahead. He does not, he
states. dread returning to the Shakes
pearean roles, as he is quite fatigues after
a performance Of "Beaucaire' as he used to
be after one Of Richard ILL.,"
In preparing to reanimate the clay OF
the illustrious emperor he is comparing the
many acting versions of the play and from
them arranging his own-a task which he
has approached without trepidation, as he
has often accomplished 1t before. He has
written quite a number OF plays, as we'll,
which have been produced in his own name
and in fictitious ones with varying degrees
Of success. Mansfield brands a play of his
own as a failure as readily as he would
that of anyone else and finds little to laud
in any Of those Of recent making.
1t was of this that he spoke particularly
in an interview Tuesday. In substance, 1t
was practically this that he said Of the
modern stage and the modern plays:
'If our good players be few, our good
plays are fewer. Not many II any are being
written now, yet / am certain there are
persons fully capable Of doing such work
II they could have the collaboration Of other
persons familiar with the physical limita-
tions OF the stage, It's requirements and its
possibilities, and familiar, too, with its
actual workings.
( II think L shall devote my own time
7 QullS lhIktiy W lhlb hlhu u NOlh ~ u
J cease touring three years hence. l have
hoped to spend six to eight weeks Of each
season playing in New York, Chicago, and
perhaps Boston, but to be stable through
] the rest OF the year and collaborate with
I others in the writing and staging of plays.
! A professional man cannot we'll discuss
matters of his profession too freely while
active in II, but there is much about the
drama that could we'll be cut II We knew
just where to use the knife. And l in
tend to use 1t. Surgeons resort to the
blade, often to the discomfort Of their pa
tients, but with saving result.
II am criticised as too exacting; some
call me a crank, Well, am l asl ing too
much when 1 demand Of the management
Of a theater that We Of the company have
clean dressing rooms with fresh air to
breathe, and that we be not huddled into
cellars, close and unhealthy Am l a
crank when I refuse to allow the expen-
sive costumes to be trailed over dusty
floors, onto which scene shutters have spat
tobacco juice?
"And am / any worse for taking a posi-
tive stand against these evils and nui-
sances? Must l endure them because
Booth and other great actors did, or for
the sake of being called genial? Would
such geniality of mine make matters any
better for the public. or do any real good
for the stage? If a thing be an evil or a
nuisance, why not be plain about 1t and
say: This must not be. l will not permit
it?' 1 have been doing this for years and
1 find now as 1 travel about hat condi-
tions are lettering.
But these are not all the woes of q
man who declines to be always genial.
You engage an actor at a good salary,
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to teach him how to act. When you at
tempt to do that, unpleasantries multiply.
You say to him: Not that way, please.
Do it thus, or So and he straightens him
self Indignantly to answer: Sir, 1 have
been with leading artists many years, and
this is the first time ] ever had my ges-
turing criticised Or, II may be a woman
whom you presume to advise, and. then
we'll, some of them may say: Mr.. So and
So. you are the first person ever to find
fault with my elocution.' Others will say
nothing, but stalk from the stage, throw
ing the book at you as they go and bring
ing damage suits afterward. 1t isn't
/ pleasant, but would you be rendering either
I the public or the player a service by say
ing to such: All, you did splendidly ?
You would be more genial, but you would
be lying, and so long as such lies are told
the art Will grow no peter.
1T Is q great art, is the art Of acting
and a most exacting one. Why not say the
most exacting? There are scores Of greai
musicians. scores OF great sculptors, u
dreds OF great painters. But great actors
you can almost count the truly great or
the fingers Of one hand. All born; nom
made! They must have the divine afiatus
don't you know7 Without II, persons MAJ
be taught to look well, to appear at ease
to do this and TO avoid that, but to really
act they must live the parts they are pre-.
senting. Each must gain so clear a per.
ception OF the character he essays that h
can mirror II in every movement, wore
and look; he must 80 mould his own per
sonality into the others form that hi
audience will lose all sight Of him and SCI
only the character.
Nor is the afiatus all that is necessary
II l advise one who turns to the stage
say to learn at least a little French, som
German. SOM Italian; to learn to sing an,
to dance. and to learn good manners, 1
he hasn't them I visited a school OF actinI
in Chicago the other day where good worI
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