The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-06-25
but they cannot be discussed in connec-
ton with the West End drama
England's Country Actors Hard
ships.

.tlOH Will tHe WseSLE fIHu lOTdInd- So
England's Country Actors Hard
ships.
The English provincial towns of i'm
portance are few, and the receipts do
not wa rrant the outlay necessary to pro-
d1ce first-class results, nor can managers
touring the provinces afford to pay the
salaries of first-class actors and actresses,
especially if they do not carry with them
q play having the endorsement OF London
with which to appeal to- the theatre-gocr.
The hest salaries are paid in London: the
best salaries here are paid outside OF
New York. Consequently there s con-
gestion In London. and as asSresult
Gordon against the provinces Rarely does
a provincial actor secure a metropolitan.
engagement. There Is SO much talenrl
within the city that there is no necessity
TO draw from the provinces. even II the
provincial actor be of more than average
ability. Yet both London and New York
experience a certain difficulty in finding
leading actors OF both sexes. They are
quite rare. In brief, everything in the
art world OF England Is concentrated IN
London, and It remains there, except for
short periods OF time, when the first
class London companies visit few Sc
lectcd cities in the provinces, sucn as !
Manchester, Liverpool, dinborough Glas-
",
places Here conditions are entirely DIFF
fcrcnt We cannot afford to keep In
town the actors we make. When we
present some promising man or woman
In several first-class plays. a few years,
putting them in parts to which they are
peculiarly adapted, and they gain more
or less local reputation, they leave us
because of the great demand Tor young
and clever artists needed to travel at the
head OF companies through the country.
The salaries they can secure are Tar
bigger, than we can afford to pay them
In any local ensemble company. This
condition. while beneficial to the indiyid-
ual actor in some instances, rebounds 10 J
the dscrcdit Of oursc city as an art center.
THE company lis far less the thing
than the play. We may have as many
clever actors and actresses here as are
in England, but theyyare scattered. Con-
seauently we cannot always create an
ensemble as perfectly as the managers
ca n in London, where there is an abun-
dance Of local material to choose from.
we cannot keep the artists under the
ono roof as they do, there
English Actors Are the Best.
..Do you think the American actor
superior to the English actor?"
II think generallyathe average English
actor is the better Sof the two, because
OF his environment and opportunity The
artistic atmosphere there is superior TO |
ours In fact, we have none except
that offered by the clubs. In England
art and politics are the ruling passions.
First politics then art In France, first
art, then politics. IN America, business
comes first, though we are striving very
hard to let the world knowTit mistakes
us when 1t supposes business is every
thing with us. But we have some art
here. Our trouble Is it Is scattered.
It is not fetish. We have actors here
equal In ability to the best Of the Eng
tlish dramatic stock, and several better
and we also have proved that the ap-
plication of business methods to dramatic !
affairs does not mean the strangling OF
art in It's purest sense, but rather en-
courages. develops and sustains It.
~Do you mean that there are not In
New York sufficient number OF good
actors and actresses z"
mot at all. There are too many. It |
Is fact that the market is overstocked
but not with the best material; 1t Is
good, and average have letters from
English actors who desire, to come over
here, ana have advised against It on
this ground. Still it is a difficult mat
ter to secure perfect ensemble COM
gpany. SO many things must be taken |
into consideration in addition to&the ab!l-
ity Of the actor or actress. Artistic the-
atrlcal production. perhaps, demands
greater thought on the part Of the man
ager than is necessary to a successful
performance by the actor. First we
must study the role we have to display.
we must be in sympathy with the Ideas
OF the author. We must study the tenn
perament. their peculiarlties, and the
probable general appearance OF the char
acter and then we must flnd an actor
or actress with the REQUIRED fexibility.
to mt the part Dramatic ability alone
will not do
BOX Office is the Final Judge.
liability. will not carry an actress to,
SUGGEST"
mot alone. 1t is necessary to success