The Saint Paul globe., 1905-04-30
LEARNING TO ACT AT
DRAMATIC SCHOOL

- '
IN the underground theater at Carne-
gle hall in New York about noon,
when deep gloom reigns, Franklin
Sargent, head of the dramatic school,
speaks first of all of the fact that the
underground .theater is, by its nature.
an infraction of the law.
THE other day, however" he con-
| tinues in his easy manner, I'VE had a
| fine bonfire on the stage. on a metal
! floor piece of course, and after 1t got
raging merrily we turned on the big
blower and in a moment the flames
] and smoke were sucked up and disap-
peared. 1t was perfectly wonderful,
and shows what can be done in case of
stage fire, even though it has made
rapid headway."
There is a fire raging on the stage
| at the time of the conversation, but II
| is a very mild and innocuOuS fire in
| comparison with the one he has de-
scribed. Its infiammable material con-
sists of the ambitions of small COM
pany composed of members of the
school who are essaying Mrs. Danes
Defence" one of the plays prescribed
in the regular course, under the stage
direction of Charles Jehlinger, who is
entirely hidden in the darkness. but
whose voice rings out from time to
time, calling attention to defects. The
severity of the accents is, however,
modified by the usual my dear" of the
stage manager when he addresses a
bunch of moving skirts.
He is in mild mood today" says
Mr.. Sargent. Sometimes he gets quite
violent, though not more so than is
| necessary"
MY dear" says the voice-this to a
| tall blonde-"you are thinking your
part. You are acting to please your
self You are not feeling. Your heart
is not in it. 1t is, as always with you,
your head dominating. Stop it. You
must feel"
A moment after Mrs. Dane, imper-
sonated by the blonde, moves across
the stage and throws herself on a
nearby chair, her head, topped by its
spring hat, resting on the round of
the back while a succession of stage
sobs issues from her hidden lips.
Those are all physical" again calls
out the stage manager, absolutely
physical. Your suffering is not phys
ical. Make those sobs emotional, heart
sobs."
It's my hat" walls the blonde, and
this time there certainly is real suf-
fering in her tone. If 1 could take off
my hat
mo, it is not your hat, it is your
head. Your head is in your way. For
get it. You are playing all the time
10 an imaginary mirror. That is the
trouble. Lose your self-consciousness."
Later a smaller girl, of the soubrette
type, flies from the wing to the center
OF the stage, where she speaks her
lines.
You are not thinking" calls the con-
cealed critic, you are simply feeling
What you want to do is to think. Your
idea was TO get on the stage and you
got there, right in the center. What
right have you to the center of the
stage? Go back and think. You are too
emotional, too impulsive. You need
TO use your head more"
Mr.. Sargent is asked to define that
elastic term, dramatic temperament
He does So
1T is simply the nervous, highly
strung temperament, the one that suf-
fers and feels and experiences, as dis
tinguished from the one that merely
exists, is stolid, phlegmatic, carefully
and perfectly balanced. The dramatic
temperament was never produced. 1t
must be there naturally. II may be
developed, that is all
You see this emotional tempera-
ment at its very best in the Yiddish
theater. The actors there after three
rehearsals will give a five act drama
IN perfectly marvellous manner.
1T is because they think so intensely
and so sincerely that they can do
this. They simply brush aside what
we call the stage business; that is
purely an American term and an
American invention. Genius doesn't
need it, but talent does.
Take the East side generally. The
people there are the best critics in the
city. / would rather have their opin-
ion of a production, if 1 want merely
true, artistic appreciation, than that
of any other locality. Their life is
not complex and they see things face
to face.
Il brought out a play there with
the scholars of the dramatic school
short time ago and they did not care
for 1t. 1t was a love story, but they
were right; it did not ring true and
was artificial throughout. Yet on
Broadway ii took very well and had
most excellent houses and most excel
lent criticisms.
The same way with the individual.
/ would rather teach an East side girl
than the girl who is called a society
girl. In the latter case we have to
undo the work of years artificial ges
lures, poses, walk, point of view to-
ward life, everything is wrongly based.
With the East side girl we have
perfectly clear field. She is sincere
and without artifice. Her faults are
natural and comparatively easy to
overcome"
blonde girlsinto moment of self-for-
getfulness and her voice has an emo
tional thrill for the first time.
That prodding process is a wonder
full thing" says Mr.. Sargent. Actors
must feel before they can make their
audiences feel, and it is the task of the
stage manager to make them feel TO
find in the nature of the pupil some
note which responds TO the note Of
the character.
Recently a woman who has been
on the stage many years came to me
in great perplexity. She was called
upon suddenly to take a role entirely
opposite to those she had been playing
for years. She was conversant with
her part, but knew that she was go
ing to make failure of it.
Il heard her. She convinced me of
the same thing. Technique and mem
ory were perfect. but she did not give
me one single thrill, and ii was a high
ly emotional role.
She came down from the stage and
sat with me here and We talked and
talked and talked. l used the third
degree, and that third degree is by no
means pleasant thing to experience.
I'VE talked of our youth, of her
coming to the city, of her stage aspir-
ations, of her struggles, of the fail
ures and successes, of the friendships
and enmities of a stage career. Little
by little / wound the coils of memory
| and emotion about her.
'sSuddaniV without uarnipo a