The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-15
At THE DRAMATIC SCHOOLS.
where the Pupils Come From-Besuty
Important 10 stage Success.

The latitude and longitude OF dramatic
aspiration are Interestingly exhibited by
the statistics OF one Of the dramatic schools.
There are to be thirty.four graduates this
year. or these less than half are men.
Only two Of them come from this city.
including one from Brooklyn.
One comes from a small Indiana town and
another from q New Jersey village. The
ington and Buffalo. which might be taken
to prove, 80 far at least as the men are
concerned, that the impulse TO histrionic
art Is strongest in the larger cities.
Out of twenty-one young women who
have studied in the school long enough to
receive their diplomas. five live In New
York, one comes from England. another
from Nuremberg. Germany. and the ma
jority hail from towns much smaller than
those that produced the men students.
The directors of the dramatic schools.
whatever their methods Of work may be
and whatever success they may meet in
their pupils, have in nearly every case
poor material TO deal with. There are
several managers who are commonly sup
posed to take the recruits for their COM
panies only from among the graduates of
these schools. But II a very pretty girl
wants a place in their employ or an espe-
cially personable young man comes along
with the requisite six feet for leading
man, the chances OF both getting a start
are very good.
The gift Of beauty. as every stage aspi-
rant must sooner or later learn. II at the
outset the greatest advantage that the
candidate can possess. There are very
few good-looking girls who cannot get .
start. whether they come from q dramatic
school or not. So the standard OF beauty
in these academies Is not high.
There are sometimes women who are
physically so little adapted to success on
the stage that ore Ia astonished at tho
! hope fulnese that leads them TO devote any
time 10 preparing for a stage career. One
| sees always In these schools two or three
women of such physical appearance thai;
| they can at the utmost hope only TO play
old womsns parts: or sr.v ant. or som"
They muet know that nothing else is
possible. Yet they devote three years Of
time and some money TO preparing them
selves for he parts that actresses hate ~
! a rule TO take. even when they are ALREADY
+, in the sere and yellow days OF their pro-
fcssion.
Among the students. there are always
one or two pathetic types who have teen
on the stage, failed 10 make any imprecei n
there and then retired to begin oil over
again. They are content TO be just study
ing" One year they are learning this
| method CT that. Thy talk n great deal
about me tiod. anyhow. and are very like IS
to say that John Drew has none AT Gil OF
that MAude Adams's method is wrong
entirely. They 60 on from year 10 yenI
until finally they realize the truth and
drop out Of the clnsBCs.
The geographical oentre OF the aspirsn's
has heconse more difficult TO locate sincr
schools have been established Ia most OF
the larger cities. They are all conduct I'd
ola the plan Of the New York institutions
In Denver. Chicago. Cincinnati. Boston
and Philadelphia then are nouri'hi1g
dramatic schools that reveal at Intervals
the talents Of their pupils at public pr
ioTmAnces. They usually attram siud"if'
only from their own rRion, and al that az
sbl. To 20 Ia . distaiio. have their eyes
fixed on New York.