New-York tribune., 1912-04-21
my DEBUT As 0RAMAT|ST
Sensations at Being 'Produced"
in New York anii at Having
to Make a Speech.
BY Everett Shinn.

Imagine the feeling &C having written
play purely to amuge Yourself laughed at
Il yourself and didn't care whether any
one else liked it or not Imagine this lit
tie piece of home amusement being taken
out and held up to tire slrangest thing in
the world-the public-ror its applause or
helping hand to the front door
From the reception and apparent interest
given my first production another item OF
interest has come TO ne and opened my
ewes. 1 thought that this playlet Hazel
Weston; or. More Sinncd Against than
usual" given only for my friends benefit
heretofore at my house, was for my
friends, only. and that they were not of
the Public's mind. | have been mistaken
! now see that | have known the public
Intimately for years and did not realize II.
The feeling ! have experienced through
every daV O. the rchearsdls is closely al
lied with the feeling Of being taken up to
Columbus. Circle and having a hypnotist
place me on the top Of the Columbus Mon
ument and command me to undre'.. 1t IS
not matter o. mOdcsty. but tina %: doubt
ing the lines Of my figure.
But had no such feeling at New
Brunswick where the show was tried out.
AS the curtain rose on the first act
turned TO a stage hand and asked him
10 close the doors i'm the back, as l vas
afraid that the members Of the company
should not stand in a draft He assured
me that they were closed. | then realized
Il was the audiencc-nine OF tApM-and all
retired for the night. It's not riGn. to dis
turb people who want to sleep. and We re-
spected their hour for rest. T. tween the
manager Arthur Hopkins, onc-armed
stage hand and myself we picked out some
of the best lines and put them back again.
The audience never missed them. We tried
the lights and speculatcd over what we
would do if certain lines got laugh. The
snow bag had to be made at the last min
ute, or poor Hazel would have gone out
in a thaw. These little details and Incl
dentals, such as snow and actors, have to
be thought Of.
1 have New Brunswick really to thank
in sense that it possibly saved the show.
The production was TO have opened at
Young's Pier, Atlantic City. The scenery
was on its way, when l received a tele-
gram SAYING the theatre had burned the
night before. If We had gone 10 Atlantic
City I am rather sure we would have gone
without snow, and what can melodrama
do without that?
After New Brunswick 7 came TO the real
test of the worth of my Offering to the
publc-New York in sense contains the
eyes of huge monster called the United
States If the eyes of New York like what
they see, the body will digest it. So last
Monday night came to the night that
was to prove whether l was good enough
TO eat or not There seemed to be plenty
oa a BrunS-
wick and the opening at Keith q Proctor's
Fifth Avenue Theatre to forget about the
play altogether. but the night arrived
while was sleeping and l found myself
standing in the little space between, the
house curtain and my own show, looking
into a black cave filled with millions of
little double lamps The curtain went up,
and 1 family heard some one passing me
say:
.Wen, the snow is cut out for tonight"
lis it?" j said
yes" Mr. Mutter. the stage carpenter.
replied; call the lines are being used and
we can't hang the snow bag
Hang me and Ill snow / whispered,
loud enough 10 be heard by the back row
IN the Madison Square Garden.
ut can't be done" Mutter was very
emphatic.
Cant It! II certainly can. There's
line coming in a minute that says: NO,
amt got nothin' agin her, but there's
snoRstorm comm, and out she goes. any
way DO you think 1 am going to go 80
far with modern impressonism as to think
that the audience will see cnow when that
line is spoken?'
/ was saying all this on the dead run,
for I was looking for stepladder. / got
II. and in time for the speech. / stood on
4 slxteen-foot ladder and iadled out the
chilling blast TO the thirsty stage hands
below.
To write a play is bad enough; but to go
out and let the public see the thing that
did IL is horrible! This latter sensation
came when the show had closed and the
company had taken their calls and had
crossed in front OF the curtain. Then
through the sounds Of hands, magnifed to
thunder came cries Of "Authorw Speech
"Author." If they had yelled Fire. !
could not have been more nervous. Then
from the sides gentle whispers Of They