Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-05-23
Nance O'Nei's Own Story.

The story Of Americas distinguished
emotional actress, Nance O'N"il IS d very
int II sting one" It talC If tn" ptl'ist"ncy
and the struggles of on" of TIL" most IL
tcrcSting personalities ON t:c stag" today.
one morning in October Isl Miss o'Nicl
presented herself to Mckc" Rankin, VII"
was directing q rehearsal At tho Alcazal
Theatre iii Sun Francisco. with Il letter
OF introduction from :: dramatic critic.
The letter GNIS tcrir: Here is 4 N"Un1
friend OF mine who wants to 90 on IN"
stage kindly discourage her" Mr..
Rankin did So. My dear child" he said,
IF you go ON the sage you mus; cN-
poet to give W your liberty; YOU Will b"
Il slave of til" public. The greater your
ing damtcd, the young woman VII" did
want to 70 On tn" stage. persisted ana
was finally permitted by Mr. Rankin tn
study the smallest part III 4 play called,
sara" which was produced ut til"
AIcazar the latter part of octohcr, 1Nt
1t WAS the part of Il nun and this was
the first appearance IF Nance @ Nj ON
am: stage. The first line That she @prk'
was: Mason Bcaudet you are dismissed
from San LHzarc." III" next pert Miss
O'Nirl played Was spubrcttc IN i licc''
called Long Iitanch.
1t was not until Miss O'Ncil was cas-;
for "Captain Tommy Il mining cam.
woman Cf loose character, that !hc really
doomed mp on the dramatic horizon. Il
WAS in this character Sh" Spnii" the IA
nous lines. You don't know much about
my kind widdcr, and | hopes you never
may; but "" are human FIR all that, nn'i
on Of these days ynU may rcllz" TINT
even SIGH AZ j have hearts to feel ana
hands ter help" Il"rc it is best to fol
low Miss O'Nicl's own words,
''One day we Were playing the
'DIuitcs' in e little half ;tkcd C"lorad
town. | had been walking about IN"
mnngrcI plac" and was returning to Tn"
place Whor" [ wIs StavirG. woman
cam" out Of a S;iloon->'!l" rcmind'd y" 81
tn" character | was playing. wondered
~. Nm, n1l IA. Ina IN
mean what | had to say and not mean ;
Wntn | went on to play my part that
night Thought of that sort of woman ~
if | WAS that sort of woman and as |
thought. sp Ike and acted ! forgot my
self | forgot that | must try and act,
and til" n"Xt thing knew IL" hndi"nr"
WIS applauirE aud shouting it pleasure.
Mr. Rankin lane running back onto ~"
stage with tears streaming down his fAc'..
That WIS great Great" II" said.
"What?" | asked. with perfect sincerity
Your acting in that last Sc"n", H.
answered Put | didn't try t" act"
cxclaimcI. Then ] saw what he bad
meant some time bcfor" when he had
roprcv"d ne and hId muttcrcd S"m"-
thing about doing my best to d"t. ti''
Ga7cd very steadily at re and sirid: MY
dear little girl. never do il AGAIN. Don I
try to act Ills words uidn'J max" =
deep IMPRESSION th'n. but when went
to bed that night | began t" think Of
them and Thought of them till tn" dawn
came! | realize now that had won Tia"
secret of GOOD acting. But Tia" cha$n
hctmcCn knowing how to do thing ana
doing it is wide ANA deep
The secret ! had discovered that night
in the "BdnitrS.' it tCGk weary Years ~
transforming to put through nrAclic'-
Before | "pp"Ircd as Il star I'm the
.J.yvosS in san Francisco n 1892. played
through Ill tn" towns in III" West iu'i
Nolthwo appearing in fully Il hundred
characters varying from goubrct" tn
hcavics We played in every thing from
barns to first class theatres ana in all
kind. Of plays from the Kanuck 'ih
storm Beaten" "'Thn Bachelors Baby.
East Lynne" ana "tncl" Tom.
to .IIamlct" That is the way | was dis
covered and that is tn" way | learned t"
act: il was work: work: work, work,
long and hard and lots Of it. Oth""
actresses may learn i'll other ways. Other
women might not learn by. my way. !
believe that all forrs Of ar" AT" inhorn,
but some arts cannot blossom without
cultivation
Alter the success made in San Francis
CO mention" above Miss ON"il laNcd n
every English speaking country in tho
world She made Il prodigious success IN
cairo ard in America ST." achieve Il par
ticuIarIv royal welcome in Boston. which
claimed har as its OWL. Miss ON, i vii
h. soon hero this season. II IS SAID thhl
Miss O'N"il llS nyW mrthnlogIral l"-
nance for next season. Mc\"" Rankin
her manager. is having !tincrlT:"s pre-
parcd for 4 two year Oriental tour which
has been post pon"d till tn" middl" of next
srrsun owing to tn. fact that Miss - Nj
suff, T. heavy fi1nrCi3l losses in the Sar
Francesca fire and earthquake" horror.