The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-07-10
The Stock Company
It's Members Are on the Go
Eleven Hours a Dau-Gi
ing One Show Twice Daily
While Studying Another.

One day. any day, in the stock COM
pany's season is utterly full OF action.
and the performances. which seem to
the theatergoer the real work of the
day. represent but fraction. and a, very
small one. of the ceaseless energy. men
tai and physical. which is invested be-
hind the four walls of a theater, says
the Philadelphia Record.
The theater is daily scene of dra-
matte action from oclock in the morn
ing TO well toward midnight. Let many
OF the admiring people who sit in the
audience and grow entranced over the
life of the performer as they see him
or her stop and think a bit. Rehearsal
starts at 9 o'clock on three days of the
week and $50 the other three days. 1t
lasts until noon. Until l o'clock is
lunch time. and then the performers pre-
pare for the afternoon performance of
the current play. This lasts until 5
o'clock generally. Even during that play
the players are studying the lines of
next weeks show. Then the players
have two hours for recreation. dinner,
and study. when they must be on hand
for the evening performance. This lasts
until II O'Clock on an average. Counted
up. the hours that the actors spend in
the theater of day number eleven.
That is where play Is work.
Consider further what must be the
mental task OF the performer in the
average stock company. A popular lead
ing lady in one OF Philadelphia's stock
companies held a typewriter book con-
tanning her part in play. II contained
50 pages and the average number OF
words In page of 70 lines was 266. II
Easttcs TO complete ! ,i40 lines, or Is, $50
words TO play. In a season of ~
weeks there are a, $50 lines, or s7O,3 800
words
As for study time. that's after the play
al night when naturally she's very
much awake. A quick change is her
bette noir; short speeches likewise
change from couture TO stockings in two
minutes is A trial 10 the nerves-any
little mismove or mistake on the part
OF her maid would mean ruin to tn
scene. AS for short speeches. they a-e,
a tax on the memory
AS a matter of fact. the dressing is
more trouble than all the rest" said the
leading lady. With new character TO
be correctly dressed every week. and
next TO no time for shopping, one read
ily appreciates this.
interesting bits of the verracu!ar OF
staEeland we're picked UP at stock com
pany rehearsals. One OF the actresses
repeated her lines about legacy and
then, appealing to the stage director.
asked: L sit on that line?" But She
diGn't; she sat on a chair. The next
Burning question was how long the VIII
lam should hold a peculiar fair ones
hand The consultation occupied some
had been decided upon and reached did
he return this member to its rightful
owner. This delicate question having
beea Strengthened out, one OF the
actresses stopped in the midst of a
speech with. do know these people p"
She didn't mean 10 be naughty; she mere
~ wanted TO know where she was at
in the pay. Meanwhile the hero does
balancing stunts on a chairback Pres
emily he Is on again and is snap-shotted
for this story while he receives some
blossoms from the heroine
At about 12f o'clock the rehearsal was
over and the company left the theater
From l O'Clock a human stream was
going dressing The mystery
OF the makeup went on behind closed
doors. One pretty girl was transform
ing herself into an old woman. while a
thin youth played an automical comedy
by making himself into a tremendously
IA man. The snapshotter penetrated
TO one dressing room. where. in the
midst of grease paints, hares' feet, mir
Tors and other theatrical necessities. an
actress was found arranging her COM
plexion
At 2:l5 the current weeks play was
on One pretty girl. who added, to her
talents a tendency 10 be behind time,
hurried down the stairs from her dress
ing room, tying her sash on the way
All the members of the company had
by this time put the play in rehearsal
from their minds for the minute and
were reappearing ready for their cues
IN the play Of the present week
With the play over. one allowed the
leading man, who was reading a per
fumed note; the villain. who was de-
lighted at being Missed. and the solemn
looking comedian 10 escape in order to
see the scene struck To strike a scene
is 10 unset Il. and in about two min
utes. with the stage crew busy. IL real
" looks as II il had been struck by
a cyclone A house has been over
turned. and the deep blue sea is no
longer on speaking terms with the rocky
shore which it Tapped so gently five
minutes since. A plano flies on left, a
desk. two chairs and sofa disappear
down through trap doors. while foliage
borders ny away upward. Before one
realizes, the scene has been struck and
another il being set
During the evening the afternoon per
Torrance is repeated, and not before II
O'Clock is the member OF a stock com
pany free. Considering all this. week
after week. one understands how a
theater is a veritable hive Of Industry
as well as a temple OF art.
VOlfaira On Sfann