New-York tribune., 1907-09-07

The days when the art Of acting could De
learned IN stock Companies seem TO De over
To-day n manager seeks for a star, or Tor a
number of stars and then for plays fha' VIII
keen those stars busy-and himself prosperous
for a season or two in New YORK, ana aitef
ward for long season on the road MT be
lasCo does not have stock company III his
principal theatre as twenty years ago he would
certainly have done. He writes a play gives
Miss RIanche Bates the leading part and then
hires some man to count the receipts for the
greater part of two years At the END OF tha'
time he writes a new play, gives another actress
the leading part, continues the counting process
and sends Miss Bates to make more money In
other cities
The larger theatregoing public of the present
dav has undoubtedly produced the demand Tor
longer runs. People want to see plays lhd'
other people have liked, and there are so many
of these people now that the long run mas De
come an economic necessity in the theatrical
business In the old days much smaller num-
her of people wished to see larger NUMBER OF
plavs. The stock company was the logical way
of providing them with what they wanted
DO NOT PRODUCE NEW PLAYS.
There are still stock companies, but they
rarely nroduce new plays They present in
stead, at extremely popular prices, plays that
have been successful in more fashionable inca
tres with famous casts. These companies nave
their followings but they are not nearly 81
val la a training
oldtine stock companies. because the Work they
do is of an entirely different character Inc
careful training that young actors received ut.-
der manage of great skill, Such rs LeStei W Ha'-
lack and Augistin DAILY, Is unknown IN lheii'
The pIayer has generally seen another player
in his mart and consciously or unconsciousiy'
,,odals his reading on that of the former repre-
sentatton Individuality Is likely 10 De lacking
in sucb delneation. The playing becomes iml-
tation instead of interpretation and freshness
and originality not at the premium thtE
used to command.
win tho nassIng of the stock company has
como a demand for some educational force to
take its place Accordingly. schools OF acting
have come into being, modelled more or less
closely after their famous prototype the won
derful school of the Comedie Francaise, whlch
mas produced Sarah Bernhardt Coquelin. Re
tame lane Hading and many another ornament
Of the French stage.
ALI, FORMS OF ACTING TAUGHT.
All forms of acting are taught in these schools,
which are OF many kinds. each aiming to supply
in its own Wav the constant call of the profess
sion for new blood Naturally. they centre IN
New York Here every play worth seeing
comes first or last here every phase Of the
actors art is waiting to be studied by the as
pirant Nowhere in the world is more made OF
the theatre: nowhere in the world is the theat-
rical standard higher. Critics are stern in their
judgments, as they must needs be where SO
much chan is to be separated from the gram
and it is usually a good play that survives the
first three weeks in New York playhouse
One great advantage of these schools is that
they teach the incompetent staSestruck BOYS
and girls their lack of dramatic ability much
more easily and pleasantly than could be
learned in the theatres. The disappointed stu
dent cannot attribute his or her failure to the
jealousy of the leading man or wcman~or TO the
refusal of the management to give the tyro the
leading part to start with The IeSurn home
from school is gracefully accomplished
than the return from profession already en-
tered upon Thus many tenderly nurtured
cir! is saved from the bitter awakening to a
sensc OF incapacty that has come to many an
other after she felt it too late to abandon cali
In. in VIII. she realizes she can never rise
above the lowest round OF the ladder.
MUST POSSESS ABILITY.
No one VI no does not possess some sort of tall
cilt can become a student of the best schools OF
acting There must be latent dramatic ability.
there mus: be the right sort of temperament,
and there must be, above all, willingness and
:. physical c2paci.y Sur the hardest sort OF hard