The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1910-09-29
TAYLOR HOLMES DIsCoURsHs ON
VERSATILITY OF ACTING

Taylor Holmes, who plays Sammy
FLETCHER in James Forbes comedy,
Inc commuters" now running at
the Criterion theatre, Is regarded al
one Of tho most versatile actors IN
the profession.
His ideas OF what constitutes yer-
satility are worth reading. :. On be-
ing interviewed on this Subject. Mr..
Holmes, among other things, said:
We often hear the expression, He
Is versatile actor. meaning in the
sense that the actor Is capable of
playing we'll different types or char
octers. Versatility is best exempli-
he'd In the actors ability to read
lines. For instance, two actors are
playing scene, and each scene Ia
made up Of series Of uncompleted
and then completed thoughts or more
simply expressed questions and their
answers
No scene is successful in which
problem or the side1ight on prob
lem is not raised and then answered
or partially answered, 80 Us to bear
on the biggest theme in the play.
me play as a whole, to find itself,
must take complete form as a unit,
and to have accomplished this, the
actors must know exactly what the
result will be Of each line read and
Ill the forming of play, that is, DUR
ing the rehearsals and the first per
foImances, the versatile actor must
be able to read his lines 80 that the
tones he uses, and the infections
VIII be In complete harmony with
the lines read just before his part or
after. ~, ;I@YRrp
Should an actor, in trying to find
the best effect. or the truest ring to
a line, constantly vary his infections
or his emphasis, nothing but expert
ence can help those. playing with
him to suddenly rearrange their
readings to definitely bring out the
truth OF the thought being expressed
In farce this is very much more diff
cult to do, owing TO the fact that the
majority of farce writer's have learn
ed that the best place for a point
word is usually at the end Of the
sentence, and therefore the actor
has also constantly to keep in mind
the fact that the point word or words
must be more carefully emphasized
in order to give it it's fullest value.
One often hears an actor say, oh,
it's impossible to read line exactly
alike at each performance, without
becoming mechanical He forgets
that the, greatest art is not to give
great performance occasionally, bu,
ut every time the play is given I'M
TIL an actor can produce the same
effect with each performance, re-
CARELESS Of any outside interest, de-
preston or physical unevenness, he
has not full control Of his art. When
ali actor varies in the slightest
measure in the handling Of his part,
he influences everyone else in the
SitSI Will W nom he comes IN contact,
which naturally influences the en-
tertainment qualities Of a PERFORM
ance.
THE reason why Mr.. Joseph JEFF
ferson played to capacity houses,
even during the last few years of his
tour, was almost entirely owing to
the fact that each performance Of
any part which he gave became, af-
ter the first few times that he played
it, an absolute cameo, neper varying
the slightest degree.
Parents who have enjoyed him
when they were young took their
children to see him when he and
they were both old, and were aston
ished to find their children enjoying
him for identically the same reasons
which had prompted their pleasure
in their youth"