Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-17
SOCIETY GIRL
GOES ON STAGE
is GIVEN PART IN LITERARY
MATINEE
Young Woman Is Peculiarly Gifted
and Is Expected to Develop Un-
usual Talent In Production
Of "eloeonda"

Marion Pierce a young society girl
of San Diego, will create the part of La
Sirenetta in D'Annunzio's "Gioconda"
at the Belasco literary matinee this
afternoon, and her first appearance in
Los Angeles will be of much interest
TO wide circle of friends.
While Miss Pierce is proud to call
herself a California girl. she is not
exactly native Of the state, for she
was born at sea, several hundred miles
| from San Francisco. In her blood
loWs the blood of a mingled Puritan
and East Indian ancestry, and this
fact may account for her distinctly
marked individuality and her versatile
talents, which give promise of a bril-
liant career on the stage. Her father,
Bostonian with penohant for globe
trotting, fell in love with the daughter
of an English army officer who had
married a high caste woman. The
wedding of the girls parents took place
In Madras, India, where Miss Pierce
has many influential connections
among the Parsccs, who disownedsher
grandmother for marrying an English
man and a Christian.
Has Dreams of Future
From babyhood the young descend
ant of the fire worshipers has lived in
California, where she received a care
ful education. With her sisters, who
have developed unusual gifts for the
artistic professions, she has passed a
number of years in San Diego Last
fall Miss Pierce, who had dreams
OF making place for herself in the
theatrical world, persuaded her sister,
Miss Lucille Pierce a clever newspaper
writer, to go with her to San Fran
CISCO The venture was looked on with
misgivings by their relatives and
friends hn ttnyz sxIs. ol.
tanned their mothers consent. With
the courage of youth they dared to go
into the great city without the least
assurance of employment. Trusting to
their talents they took chances that
persons more worldly wise would not
have faced. Weeks of waiting followed
their arrival, and when their fund, put
aside for the experiment, was dwin-
ding, the elder sister began to earn
comfortable income as a space writer.
Has Promising Future
At last Marion Pierces chance came.
AT the AlcaZar theater she was given a.
small part. The trial won an engage
ment, for, in addition to the dark eyes,
the rich coloring and the 1.-the figure
or the East Indian, the young actress
has brains and temperament. For ten
months the San Diego girl progressed
steadily, obtaining the recognition that
means assured success. Then the
earthquake and fire came. With only
few of their most precious possessions
the girls escaped to friends in Oakland,
and as soon as they recovered from the
shock of the disaster they returned to
their Southern California home.
"Gioconda" will give Miss Pierce an
opportunity to make a distinct hit in
her Los Angeles debut. The part of La
sirenetta, half fairy and half waif, is
a poetic, fantastic conception which
the girl, who has inherited something
of the mysticism of the orient, should
interpret most convincingly. With her
green shells and her strange sayings
La Sirenetta comes to Silvia, who
strives to hide the loss of her hands.
La Sirenetta offers the shells again
and again, and at last discovers that
the sculptor's wife has become manned.
This scene in the last act is one of the
most effective in the play.