The Indianapolis journal., 1903-03-28

muscles OF my face and throat, says Mr..
PoWers. Il could throw no expression into
my face, and my voice was nearly gone for
few moments. Finally 1 shook 1t off and
went on, but the experience was a most
unpleasant one. and Ii is as fresh in my
memory as If ii were last night"
Stage fright is not always due, however,
to fear of an audience Eddie Foy says he
has had but one attack of the sort, and
that he blames entirely to inanimate OBJ
1ects Mr.. Foy was an acrobat before he
became an actor. His former career began
when he was ten years old, and he was
one of team of boys who had learned
to throw somersaults with some skill
We got a trial engagement in variety
theater In Chicago" says Mr.. Foy, regard
ing this incident of his youth, land started
to do our first turn indoors. We had
been practicing in quiet spot on the lake
front, and / never realized how close the
roof OF the stage was till l was in midair.
1t didn't seem to be more than a foot away,
and thought was going to hit against it.
AS result / made a bad mess of the
somersault and landed on my back and
head, with narrow escape from breaking
my neck"
Bert Williams's experience in stage fright
was not unlike Mr.. Foy's in a way. II
was member of the .Mastodon Minstrel
Troupe, says Mr.. Williams, which was
composed of ten performers. Each of them
doubled in the band. excepting myself. 1
mad singing turn with banjo accom-
pan1ment. We travelled in a wagon, the
side of which let down and formed a stage.
We played only the smallest towns, and
at one of them an old-timer in the show
business came up and said to me: You're
all right, young feller, but you want to
make your entrance with more snap.
Throw your chair out, then chuck your
banjo after 1t, and go on with a somer-
sault He volunteered to go to the next
town and show me how He threw the
chair on the stage. and then tried to do a
somersault, holding the banjo. L was so
afraid I'd break the instrument. however,
that 1 failed miserably, and had such an
attack OF stage fright that l actually
couldn't pick out tune on the banjo for
several minutes
of stage fright are usually due to seeing
some familiar face in the audience. mo
matter who 1t is, says Mr. Haines, 1T
almost paralyzes me when 1 recognize the
10 me as IL every one on the stage and in
the orchestra chairs realizes that | am a
glaring example of stage fright. If any
friends send word that they are going to be
in the audience / avoid looking for them.
i prefer to think that they may not have
come, after all, and that L know no one
who is watching the play"
Lew Fields says that both he and Mr..
Weber have acute stage fright at every
new burlesque that Is put on. They stand
in the wings, says Mr.. Fields, and try to
cheer each other up. . m in blue funk,
right. Then he thumps me on the back
and says: If only had your nerve That's
about what l say to him. Each of us knows
y
we're not fooled Bit
Weber and Fields have played together
for twenty-five years. In all that time,
remarked Mr.. Fields, "the worst attack of
stage fright / ever had was when l was
playing the aunt in the burlesque of The
Girl and the Judge l wore skirts for the
first time, and was afraid that I'd do some
thing that wouldn't look right to the audi
ence. My legs trembled under me so
couldn't move. and the rest of the people
simply played all around me. / knew that
II l stirred step my legs would collapse"
Wilton Lackaye says that he is more
liable to stage fright in playing a straight
part than in one wherein his makeup con-
ceals him to certain extent. "As Sven
gall, said Mr.. Lackaye, Il never had the
slightest approach TO stage fright. l was
hidden behind mask, so to speak. In my
present role have had stage fright two or
three times. 1t took the form of aphasia--I
could not remember a word of my lines
and simply walked up and down the stage
till the words came to me. Stage fright
comes upon me in creating role of diff
ferent character from that previously
played. If man has been appearing in a
straight part, and undertakes a character
role he is likely to have those nervous at
tacks which only an actor can understand
or symDathiZe with
Sam Bernard saws that his chief dread of
stage fright is due to the fear that he will
get other members of the company con-
fused by giving them the wrong cue. 81
can make up some sort of talk as 1 &c
along, explained Mr.. Bernard, "and the
audience won't know but that everything
Is all right. But If l fail TO remember the
cue in time to tack 1t on to the end of my
remarks, IL means trouble. Fortunately
this has happened but once with me this
season. ard then I realized what had, or
rather. what / had not done. The cold per-
spiration stood out on my forehead. and ii
L ever had stage fright. that was glarine
case of il. / simply added a postscript tC
my lines. of course. and brought in the cue
with ii which the prompter had given me
/ there a delaX
and that seems long wait in a musical
play"