Charlevoix county herald., 1906-09-22
THE ACTRESS OF THE FUTURE
Yvette Guilbert's Prophecy in Part
Fulfilled Now.

Yvette Guilbert has been outlining
the career of the actress of the fu-
ture. She will belong to no nation
and no city. She will be internation-
al. She will act in New York, Berlin
Rome Paris and London.
She will play, moreover, in the Ian
guages of these cities. To learn
them will be part of her preparation.
AS yet none of the dramatic schools
has added foreign languages to it's
courses. But within certain limita-
tions what Nine. Guilbert prophesied
has already begun.
Between this country and England
the interchange of actresses has be-
come an established custom. The adj
vantage is still on the side of the
English actresses in one way. They
still make more money over here than
American players do in London. Olga
Nethersole, Mrs. Campbell. Ellis JEFF
freys have no counterpart among the
American actresses who have gone
to London.
The only two Americans who have
found lasting success in London are
Edna May and Gertrude Elliott. But
number of others have found regular
employment in less important posi-
tons. Fay Davis was one of these.
AS yet Americans accept English
stars more unreservedly and with
greater warmth than they take to
leading women. 1t would not pay
Maude Adams, Annie Russell or Mrs.
Carter to go to London and play there
all winter. They would lose thou
sands of dollars. On the other hand
good American season will add thou
sands to the bank account of an Eng
lish actress.
AS regards continental Europe the
case is different. There are few, if
any, American actresses who speak
German or French well enough to at
tempt to act before an audience of
either nationality. Foreigners are
much more adaptable.
Modjeska, Rhea and Janauschek all
learned English and succeeded FRITZ
Scheff in very short time mastered
English well enough to become pop
ular star. Lima Abarbanell after only
one season here could speak well
enough to take a part in an English
production and make a hit.
Mile. Kalisch had more difficulty,
because in her serious plays the pub
lie is much more critical. 1t will take
her some time to speak English with
sufficient smoothness to have her ac-
cent forgiven.
Emma Eames and Lillian Nordica
speak French as fluently as English.
Italian is just az easy for Mile. Eames
in singing and in speaking. German
she scarcely speaks at ALL and her
singing of it is labored.
Bessie Abbott sings French very
well, but not so well as Susanna Ad-
ans. Both speak it with perfect flu
ency. Olive Fremstad speaks perfect
ly both French and German, in addi-
ton to her native English, and Louise
Homer could act in French without
offending even the sensitive ears Of
the Parsians. She is also strong in
German and Italian.
If women singers can thus acquire
linguistic accomplishments there is no
reason why actresses should be un-
able to- The advantage of the sing
ers is, of course, that they go to Eu-
rope to study and learn the tongues
there. A foreign training willsbe nee
essary for actresses when they be-
come international.
1t might be very good thing for
managers IL the actresses of the con-
tinental countries learned English.
AS things are now 1t is declared that
only one woman In recent years has
| made money for anybody but herself