The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-31
in chat way . worry good opportunity to

who IN trying to find employment 10 sup
port herself looks costly. -
CLOSELY, she has learned that there arr such
things as agencies whore actors ma ON
pioyment-s kind Of sublmAted intelligence
off3oe a. II were. There are several OF theee
in New York. although their impG nna &c
In the feld 10 not neaJ'I a. xrea' no" DO
The better class Of actors are never en-
RACED through them. But the actors
who 70 to the stock companies, VINO play
in the minor travelling troupes and IN a inc
employment by means Of these agencies.
SO the determined aspirant, not yet losing
courage, turned her steps toward one OF
these.
eyebrows when she heard that the Appli-
cant had had NO experience. put her name
down In book and tod her TO come m dur
ing tho next week unless she heard from
her. ~
Tho woman was "a uninterested In manner
"A the stage manager. She seemed to take
no earthly interest in what she was doing,
and the aspirant ingenuously wondered
how In the world the business ever pros
pered II 1t was conducted with 80 little
enthusiasm. She did not know that this
kind Of thing was looked ,sd upon nns as an un-
sDo you think that I'll be able to find
something to do?' the applicant asked
timidly. +Im willing to start in any
wa aySh that. anita .notbsr matter j..
to go on as an extra or in chorus it's much
easIer.' She opened the book again
Beginning at the bottom did not mean
the chorus or .an extra. which In the slang
OF the theatre is a person that stands around
but says nothing. So she fastened to
correct that impreSSOn.
mo, l want to act" she interjected.
That's acting the agent eaid., as she
closed the book and added, YEARLY, you
might come ny week ,kss asr oyed the time
for her call week farther on She heard
nothing, OF course, from the woman and
went to the Office. Apparently she had
been quite forgotten. TIT
She seated herself in an upper room while
awaiting her turn to talk with the agent
The white walls we're hung with rev
framed photographs which she, even with
the large Acquaintance with mediocrities
that come from perlsing theatrical week
lies. could not cognize. There were wo OF
stars Then there were long, highly coloTed
posters announcing plays and actors that
were all quite unknowA to her.
Three women were in the room. one
was old, dressed with an effort at style,
but with every appearance OF hmentable
her in the same seat on her first visit.
She spoke to nobody read newspaper
occasionally and solm times walked oyer
to the door into the agents room, But
she made no effort to speak with her.
The two other women were younger,
fleshily dressed and painted They we're
acquainted, and when the older woman
once walked to the door, the two laughed.
One Of them caught the asprart's eye.
.She's been here every day for the past
hn al vii "A laugh
Of course there's no use OF her coming:
There's nothing for her 10 do and she hash t
acted month in the past three years
She just hangs around like this, Mrs \.
hates to have her put out by tho police
The agent, Of course, had nothing for the
playing the smallest kind of parts IN
stock company for IS week. That salary
vas out OF the question. as the girl could
support herself OF go home. But in her
eagerness she agreed to meet the manager
the next day.
She came TO the office, saw the old woman
etil reading her newspaper. and met the
.Rather thought you'd average up bet
dis. ppointment. But you might do
Then he told her that she was to act the
smallest parts. 60 on as an extra s, wheI' s,e
part a week and get IS week. -,
.rhat Amt much" he said. But it's
a nice cool place to spend the summer In
and I've got a company OF pleasant, clean
people that you'll find it all right to act
With. You'll find it very agreeable change
after long tour. What company were
you with last season.
Then he learned for the first time that she
had never been ON the stage. He WAS as
tonished. begged her pardon for taxing s up
engaged beginners She was leaving, when
ne followed her into the hall and told her
he might think ~ her for his company 4
she d be willing to come for no salary at al:
She was hurrying out then. the Years on
disappointment in her eyes and only an
swered that she had to have q salary. She
never heard any more from the agent ana
never went hack, as the woman had prdc-
tically told her there was no use IN her
coming. :,
this morning. she told the asplrant on her
last visit, II you'd been better looking
She went to other agencies, and her eH-
periences we're the Same in the end. No
body wanted an inexperienced woman VINO
had neither beauty nor money. size an
swered Advertisements which we're inVarl-
ably the device OF some swindler to get few
hundred dollars out of u staRe-strucN g'll
On every side there seemed to he deter
ss to orfs ss her at eas ne .e ns ,o
would give her experience But In her
case that was impossible.
Six weeks passed In this Irutiers ehor1.
and she was no nearer the object OF her visit
than she had been at the outset. She had
sat for hours in the agents offices ana
she had hesieged the Office OF every theatre
manager in town.
She had rarely got beyond the outer
! doors Of these places, but she had written
| them letters that must have made her name
| rs q dramatic aspirant fairly familiar to
| them. And OF all the persons with whom
she talked, not one had ever asked her to
do anything to show whether she was
! talented. She was not even asked TO reti'e
| or show what sort Of voice she had;
The end in her case was OF course, the
same that comes every year IN so many
! cases. Her money gone, every avenue
evidently closed to her and no means aI',
parent even to her sanguine view. the girl
went home.
She might better never have come, But
only experience teaches, sad as the fact may
| be- And II there ever was person IN this
world who has to learn for herself. 1t 10 the
dramatic aspirant.
| There are many such cases every year,
explained the manager with whom ! HE SuH
reporter talked. sand II n probably; Tor
| tunate for these women that they did moi
succeed In their plan of getting on the stage
Some OF those that come every year may
be geniusee. II they arc, they will he heare
| from az assuredly az all geniusee In the pas
| have been. If they were all beautiful, the.