The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-08-08

beginners are apt 10 treat Ln6 "OTh
too Slightly. 1t is all delightful land
o. dreams from the comfortable seats
out in front, where all of their ideas
have been gained, and from where
none of the hard life back Of the
footlights shows. They fail to realize
that what looks to them like the
easiest sort Of situation is in reality
the most difficult. Drama is the art
that conceals art 1t may be that
tie line Of perhaps half a dozen words,
has been gone over and over for
weeks before it was considered suff1-
GENTLY perfect to be presented to the
public.
'Tamgine,' said Mrs. wheatcroft,
what thankless work this is. And
probably that line slips by without
being noticed by a single person in
the audience. But let that line be
awkwardly made, and see how soon
the critics and the public would pro-
test.
"Au Of this, the diversity Of the
training, the strict attention to details,
is what makes for perfection, and,
when you find the girl who is willing
to go over her part 100 times-per-
haps 1000 times. if the stage manager
demands it-you will find the girl who
will be a success sooner or later"
Mrs. Wheatcroft was asked whether
she considered that a stock company
was the best school for young ac-
tress.
yes and no." she answered. Many
say that it is, and many hold the OPP
posite opinion. While the stock com
pany Is the melting pot wherein Is
brought out the calibre Of the young
player, personally think It is more OF
an advantage for the actress OF, say,
three or four seasons, than for the be-
ginner, for this reason: stock training
can not give the proper polish ana
finish to the young actress In STOCK
she can not gain the broad, general
knowledge that is necessary for sue
cess, on account of the hurried train
ing that is given in these companies
with their eight or ten performances
week.
Beginners are apt to grow slovenly
and careless, because the stage dlrec-
tor does not have the time to give at
tention to each individual part, to give
the why and wherefore of the lines
as they are being rehearsed. There
fore the training is apt to be superb
cial. The young people are apt TO 90
| things because they are told, without
| being given any special reason why.
Therefore 1 would suggest TO
| mothers who hope to place their
daughters on the stage not to place
|
place them with some good road COM
! pany for a season or two"
! However" continued Mrs. Wheat
| croft, stock company training is eX-
! cellent, inasmuch as its limitations
are boundless. Today the character
may be that of the maid who dusts
! the drawing room; next week she may
| be the queen upon throne. From
the commonplace of every day living
| to the splendor of tragedy may be
REQUIRED of the girl from one week to
| the next. She may depict the depth
of crime on Saturday, and on Monday
/ be soaring to sublime heights. AL
this gives a training that is invaluable
to the girl.
| company is one of it's chief and der
Iigbtful advantages. Perfect harmony
among the members must exist, and
each player does his or her best,
whether that best consists of coming
upon the stage and reciting three
lines, or in holding the center OF the
| stage for an entire scene. Petty Jeal-
ousies cannot long survive in stock
/ company, therefore, they. are not al
/ lowed to develop"
Mrs. Wheatcroft commenced at the
| TOP of the ladder. When a girl III
seventeen she appeared in the Hay
| market theatre, London, with the
| Kendals, Chippendales, Roland BuX-
tor, and others whose names are iden-
titled with the best in the drama. She
| played Juliet to KendaIs Romeo
| Later she toured the provinces in Will
kie Collins's Woman in White" play
ing the dual leading character. Later
she appeared in America in this play
For two years she supported Barry
Sullivan in the provinces, then man.
aged her own company, giving society
plays It was at this time that she
met Mr.. Wheatcroft and engaged him
as her leading man, for life. She
played with the first English speak
ing company that ever visited the Ar
gentine Reptile, then came to thi:
country, having been engaged by Froh-
man.
One of her most pleasant profession.
al recollections is of the seasons she
spent with Joseph Jefferson's COM
|, pany, playing Gretchen in RIP Var
Wrinkle" It was while in this com
pany that Mrs. Wheatcroft became &C.
uuainted with julius Kahn, now Rep
, resentative from California, who wa:
; at that time a young law student III
San Francisco, and a member of Joe
Jefferson's company. Later with hel
. husband, Mrs. Wheatcroft established
the school in New York, in which
actors and actresses whose name!