The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-17
HISTRlONlSM STIRS The EAST.
ROMEOSKI, ROMEOSKT, WHERE
FORE ART THOU, ROMEOSKIr

Hard and Fast Union Cinch ON the YIddish
Theatres "a Protect Salaries starts an
Open shop m school. with a
sIsat0wy Promise Of Open shop Theatre
All the East Side ia a stage nowadays.
The tailor has given up his goose, the shoe
maker his last, the egg tester Is dreaming
OF the day when he may nave a chance to
sample the eggs by personal contact and
the statesmen and the salesgirls are declaim-
ing with emotion from behind counters
things that they used to utter in a casual,
~perfunctory way, such as so help mel
It's all wool but the buttons!" and 1T fite
like the paper on the valll" Striding OF
prancing on the walks of the East Side parks
young men Inc women porting over play
books may be seen muttering things in
Yiddish, the proper jsrgon," used by the
Russian Jews. They are committing to
memory everything from Romeo. and
Juliet to Box INT Cox" They are men,
bers OF the First Yiddish School Of Acting,
recently incorporated, or they are getting
ready to join the school
The three Yiddish THEATRES of New
York are in the grip OF two unions, one
made up Of vaudeville artists n the other
Of opponents of the legitimate drama. The
legitimates never speak to the vaudevillians
as they pass by. The wages Of the best
actors Of both classes range from s25 to $50
a week. h knowledge Of this n the
ambition to be q professional person has
tempted several hundred working folks,
mostly young men n women, to make
application to the "Tytaoony, the First
Yiddish School of Acting and Conservatory
Of Dramatic Arts" Tytaoouy is not Yid-
dish. 1t is made up Of the initials Of the
corporation that runs the school, The
Yiddish Theatre Amusement Company of
New York.
Max Moscowitz is manager OF the school.
It's instructor in music is Harry Stone Of
the Metropolitan Opera House, its drs-
matte expert NJ. J. L~avrovsky. its elocution
teacher Sam Gisnet and its dancing
master L. J. Baraban. The letterheads
and application blanks Of the school have
an enwreathed picture OF a man labelled
Shakespeare, who has a fine dark beard and
looks muc like a large number OF East Side
merchants not addicted to shaving.
The school is going to advocate the open
shop in acting. The two unions will not ad-
nit an actor who has not md at least six
months experience on the sHaee, and mas
much as the MO control the stage It is
impossible for any one to act in Now York
unless he comes from the other side with
proofs of his ability.
Mr.. Moscowitz says the Tytacony il 60
ing to turn out actors and actresses az fast
as it can and in large numbers. They may
not be able to get into the three theatres
here, but thew will receive assurance Of
getting Jobs in a theatre that will be built
in about a year. This theatre will make no
discrimination in regard to actors. II will
be strictly open shop, and union men will
be treated lust as ~non-un.on.
The Yiddish school occupies the base
ment and first floor of 1St East Broadway.
Both floors were thronged yesterday with
the stagestruck. In the basement Prof.
Gisnet was teaching a class the first prin-
ciples of elocution. None Of the pupils ap-
peared to be more than 30 and each had
a paper on which was written the piece"
that the professor was teaching him to
declaim. They were all very attentive and
in tremendous earnest. Upstairs Prof.
Lavrovsky was on a little stage filing one
end Of the double room ~instructing the
young men and women more advanced in
the histrionio art how to use their hands
while uttering noble sentiments. The pro
lessor had much trouble in getting his
pupils to understand that gestures were
both horizontal and perpendicular.
Manager Moscowitz said that ne rejected
MANY applications because OF the low order
of intelligence OF the applicant. None but
Jews who understood both English n
Yiddish were admitted to the school. Many
pupils were of American birth and some
Displayed real talent. Prof. Harry Stone
said that he had a remarkable tenor in his
singing class Of twenty-eight young men
and women who eventually would become
as great, IL not greater, than Caruso.