The sun., 1908-12-13


pers. but she Is not sici.Isn, which Ia the
only explanation she Offers for the differ
enoe In style and technique.
Like most Of the Sicliian company
Nine. Agigiia was born In Catana.
She describes her first appearance AT
years o.d, when she had more than walk
ing part, taking the roe Of a deserted
child who wakes In the house n,one and
looking vainly about for her parents
finally stumb.es into the street and ass,
for help
linen there was an interval while was
at school, she says, "apd then my father
who was on the stage. and my mother who
was an amateur before marriage and
afterward became his associate in t.r-.
procured me an engagement at the theatre
at Palermo where have done great deal
of my work. as well as at Catania, which
OF course I love,
my first real appearance as star was at
the Teatro Costansi at Rome, where
played the part OF Mia di Cordere in
Gabrielle d'Annunzio's tragedy Figlia d
Jorio.' I consider this my best part At
least I like it the best
players have been called wildcats by oae
Of the London critics and she uses her
favorite word to express her feelings on
that score, "Brute!' Then she gives hin,
credit for certain amount Of truth in bis
summing UP.
we are essentially nature actors
sh@ says. we play at times with tho
saTagery OF a pack of wolves, but our
prototypes live that way. Homicide.
parricide, animal fear. the passion oS
.pvernastering love are not handled DELI
'cately by the peasants Of Sicily, and We
depict them as they are.
"The art Of realism is not confined 10
our players. It is the art Of the Eastern
people. Of most Of the Latin countries as
we'll have seen Eovelli die in Niorts
Civile with as much abandon as we dis
play and have been told that nothing wa
represent on the stage outdoes in dramatic
verify the folklore dramas done at the
Art Student Theatre at Moscow.
"We of Sicily are not ashamed Of our
emotions. Ours is a land Of intases
sunshine and we live quickly there
too quickly for repression. A.! the
great primal emotions. the love Of man
and woman, the love of children. the
hatred and jealousy Of the aroused animal.
the vendettas and superstitions are felt
without complexity.
"The lifeof the Sicilian woman focuses
in her home She marries young, a mar
riage after 22 is rarely heard Of. then she
is too old. They have abundant families
and until they pass to the protection Of
their husbands girls are carefully guarded.
even the working girls being under care
full surveillance.
"The woman question is unknown there.
for the married woman belongs TO her
husband. works in the house as he does
outside and what she does is for the benefit
Of the family. The men are frightfully
jealous of their prerogatives and a word
or look is sufficient for the starting OF
suspicion which may lead to the most
frightful and unexpected tragedy,
'The women are essentially religious,
and lawlees desires have continually to
fight with the force of religion as we'll
as that of their supreme duty. which is
bounded by the word domestioity. SO
when these tremendous struggles come.
although they may be physical in mani
festation, they often have the most
spiritual beginning
Having played In all the countries Of
Europe and in many Of those OF South
America. the Sicilians will return to
London. where Nine. Aguglia hopes 70 be
able to complete her scant knowledge OF
the English language and 20 some time to
play Shakespeare in the tongue OF 'the
greatest Of all dramatists."