The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-04-26

There is a row of gas jets in wide frames
in front of the stage, but no footlights.
and. on a damp, rainy night there is a
profusion of sawdust on the floor.
The play begins at seven o'clock At
that hour the price of admission is fifty
cents; at half-past eight il falls to thirty
five cents; at haif-past nine to twenty
five cents; but at this hour things are
more interesting there Is more excite
ment and more noise. After half-past
eieht the most emotional portion of the
play takes place. As there is no gall
lery and the house must give every one
chance to see the play. the sliding
scale of prices has been adopted
The play is always religious or histori-
cal in character. and a war tragedy will
, fairly take the Americans breath away
for the more excited Chinese performer
becomes the more clashing of cmybols Is
necessary to express his state of mind
When the actors come in mounted on i'm
aginary horses. s'ashing the air with i'm
aginary whips. and tying their imagin-
airy steeds to imaginary trees. which MAJ
be represented by chair or table. there
IS such saving of the Ngee Yin, a
two-stringed instrument that squeaks
dreadfully that one is inclined to place
hi. hands over his ears.
The Chinese orchestra. though it gives
the actors its cues. expresses for them
a certain amount Of their emotions. plays
one act in and the mex; out is never
theless considered but a necessary evil
and not an ornament to the stage. The
conductor. who uses for a baton two lit
tie sticks and n hard stone which he
pounds drinks tea or smokes when music
is not required and these musicians.
seem absolutely unconscious of the play
proceeding in front Of them until they
must play" again
But down the narrow q. up over tho
curtainless stage. under the yellow paper
with the Chinese characters on il repre-
senting Chin Ling Quia the name Of their
greatest dramatist and their Shakes
speare. past all this and through a door
so narrow you must turn sideways To
slide past IT. behind the stage. YOU enter
the most curious and most inconvenient
dressing room In New York
The dressing room in not larger than
small anteroom. about six by twelve feet.
II is lighted by two gas jets ,hat are al
most lost in the gloom from the high cell
inE-ascending in this dim place IS ~
toilet table where thirty-five actors put
on their makeup.
A bench constitutes this table. 1t is
about two feet broad. and there are in
Vulnerable tin cups and small brushes on
It, There are patches Of white paper. and
two I'VE by seven looking glasses than
are so dim it is difficult TO catch a
glimpse Of ones reflection in them. This
is the entire paraphernalia OF their make
up The white patches belong to the
traeedian. He places one over the bridge
OF his nose Just why he does this no
one knows. not even himself. II is ira
ditional with the actors more than any
thing else
From their dressing room the actors
may look out al the audience from hole
about foot square in the wall. and If a
spectator knows where 10 look he may
catch a glimpse OF the actors at work.
- there are but few actresses. and
is necessary thar the female impersousJor
must wear nis. and the smooth black
affair : an addition 10 the female i'm
Personstor makeup hat is quite neces-
sary, To De a female personator an actor
must BE- small OF stature feminine OF
voice and movement. piqusnt and dainty
In carriage. They are shaved over the
forehead and between the eyes by the
association barber once month. as their