The sun., 1903-10-18
TASK OF STAGING A PLAY.
VARIED DUTIES OF A NAN TIE
PUBLIC KNOWS LITTLE or.

Stage management il an art. and most
theatregoers have little or no idea Of Ia
importance In the amusement world. Many
plays owe their success to the way in which
they are staged. In spectacular showl
and extravaganza the stage director OF
| producer is the man upon whom success On
failure depends.
The stage manager In one Of the most
important personages about q theatre. II
seems strange but less is known about his
work by the public than about that Of any
one else connected with the theatre.
Good stage managers are scarce! II
you don't believe it. ask any producing
manager. The topnotchers in the business
command as good salaries as the star actors
As to what they do in return for their sal
aries, Ben Teal will tell.
Mr.. Teal was the first free lance stage
manager this country ever knew. Fol
years he declined to engage himself to any
particular theatre manager. and sold his
services to the highest bidder. That his
services were always in demand proves that
he knows his business.
OF late years stage management has
become specialized, like most other things.
Mr.. Teal is now staging the productions
| made by Weber & Fields. He told sun
| man something about his business few
days ago He said:
-The duties of stage manager or stage
director are many and varied in this day
Of effort. They are also extremely onerous
| and trying.
-In my opinion, the requisites for stage
director, conceding, Of course, natural
aptitude for the work, are correct eye for
color and ear for harmony and the dramatic
inst inct strongly developed. In addition
to these prime requ isites, he must be well
grounded In the r1Idiments OF the language
he employs and have q fund Of technical
information, as we'll as q mine OF general
information.
He must keep abreast Of the times and =,
II possible, a little ahead Of them. In short,
he must have brains and know how to use
them.
There is q big difference in my eyes
between a stage manager and stage
director, The two terms are confounded
in the mind Of the public, but there Is vast
gulf between them.
-The stage director ia the man who pro-
duces the play for the first time. The
hardest work Of this initial production falls
on his shoulders.
-On the other hand, most anybody can
be stage manager. Take. for instance.
when a show goes on the road. 1t has been
running smoothly for weeks. let US say.
There il no reason for the man who made
the first production to accompany that
rNrlr Il, lI,y
over when he gels the show running
smoothly 1t is easy for any one to keep
it going so.
The greater ones experience with the
stage the better adapted that person is
to become a stage director. There is q
great difference between staging the drama
of poetry and a modern extravaganza or
musical comedy. All three are hard to
stage.
Some plays have ten or twenty char
acters. Then take big spectacle where
there are several hundred people on the
stage at time. Personally, would rather
handle crowd on the stage. Crowds and
groups are easier for me than individual
pictures.
when II is decided to produce drama,
a spectacle or any other form OF entertain
ment. the book of that drama or spectacle
is turned over TO the stage director Then
he begins to get busy.
He reads the book carefully and. let lis
say, intelligently. He keeps on reading
it until he gets all the characters clearly
defined in his mind
Gradually he decides on the general
scenic scheme. He calls in the scenic ar
tist. They consult; and it the scenic artist
knows his business he is soon busy man
making models. These models are first
Then comes the matter Of costumes,
which is a mighty important one. cos
tuner is consulted and to her the stage
director tells what he thinks ought TO be
the general color scheme.
The costumer works pretty much on
the same plan as the scenic artist. Models
are made and submitted for approval.
The final decision is up to the stage director.
In the matter of costumes alone any woman
will tell you how hard 1t is to make this
final decision.
Meantime call has been issued for re-
hcarsals The theatre manager or the
person who is having the production made
has hired the artists who are TO play the
various parts. When rehearsals begin they
are supposed to know their lines by heart
-1he stage business that goes with the
words is for the most part supplied by the
stage director. | believe in allowing
players to give their own conception OF
a role When player is interested in his
work he will have an idea Of his own how
his part should be played. Where the
player's IDEAS don't conflict with the stage
manager s or the authors they are allowed
to have considerable freedom.
"ODCe rehearsals begin they are kept up,
day and night, until the first performance.
The more people employed in a show the
longer the rehearsals.
A big production will take longer to
make perfect than n comedy with dozen
charact ers in IL. Every one in the comedy
can he rehearsed at once. In specaCu-
lar product ion rehearsals have to be con-
Quoted in s'c' iors
"When all the sect iors know their work
they ara dovealied loGctner Until the whole
is complete. Then the entire company is
rehearsed.
at takes abou, six weeks o rehearse
n biz slec acle Four weeks is the regular
time given over 10 reheaIsals for aLy OF her
sort OF entertainment.
"When the rehearsals begin he stage di-
rector has a hLsy tine OF il. This work is
entirely under his direction. He is he one
who mus, develop ideas and supply all the
technical informal ion. He must have in
diyidualty and great patience.
"Iet w say he Is rel eaIsiI 6 Il hig r. &c
tacle. He knows the size Of the stage, and
he has. figured out just low many people
he can got on il at one tine.
"He has studied each scene ard its out
lines. Ho knows the locale Of the p ay.
He knows how the persons who are to
people that s'nge ought 10 act. He las O
show hem where they are 10 stand, how far
they are to move, ard just what they must
do at specified tjnes,