River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-06-26
LIFE ON THE STAGE.
The Length of the Average Theatre
cal Career Is Rarely More
Than Ten Years.

A new crop of stage people is har-
vested in the United States every ten
years. Each decade marks the begin
ming of new epoch in theatrical his
tory.
This fact, says the Chicago Tribune,
does not apply so aptly to stars and
stage people who dominate in the pro-
fession, for the life of these, SO far as
the public is concerned, is usually
somewhat longer. But with the rank
and file-those who never rise higher
than the level of minor roles ten
years is about the limit of endurance.
After having served before the public
for that length of time without doing
anything sufficiently meritorious or
novel to attract unusual attention the
actor or actress, as a rule, passes away,
in SO far as the profession is concerned
and q new crop is harvested among the
many anxious recruits on the waiting
list to fill the depleted ranks.
Men who deal in the talents of stage
people to the extent of reaping finan-
cial returns from their labors are bet
ter qualified 20 ''size up" the situation
than others, and their experience
teaches that few ordinary people of
the theatrical profession remain long
er than ten years in the business. They
either achieve Observation-Disclosures
this is the exception rather than the
rule-or else drop into other lines after
having been convinced by experience
that the stage, so far as they are direct
ly concerned, offers practically no OPP
portunities for advancement. For this
reason the rank and file of the profess
sion is constantly changing, and the
popular idea "once an actor always an
actor" is easily disproved.
It is the office of the theatrical agent
the man who mediates between the
stage people and managers that pre-
sents the truest phase of stage life. In
this little clearing house, where talent
is the standard of consideration, the
mask is removed, and everything goes
for just what it is worth. By reason of
this fact those who manage the affairs
of stage people are better able to
Judge of the vagaries and allurements
of the profession than persons on the
outside, and in their opinion ten years
is the average life of the person who
chooses the stage as profession.
This condition is more evident
among speciality people than among
those who adhere to the beaten paths
of legitimate drama. The latter field is
less exhausting, because it is less
original than the former, and changes
from one line to another are more cas-
ilv brought about. The stock and trade
of men and women on the variety stage
is originality, and when this endow-
ment has been exhausted the resources
of the person cease unless he has sue
ceeded in building up a reputation
which he can live on after he ceases to
be drawing card with the public.
The theatrical agent is brought
into touch with both sides of the shift
ing life of the stage. He meets an en-
thusiastic raw recruit" one minute
and the next turns to face an actor
or actress who has outlived his or her
stage usefulness and is searching dill
gently for an engagement. The agents
life is, in fact, a better drama than the
average stage production, and he has
enough comedy thrown in to relieve
the monotony. And there is good