Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-08
STOCK ACTORS
MEMORY CAUSE
Of ADMIRATION
Norman nackett Explains That
Learning New Roles Becomes
Almost Automatic.

Norman HacAett, very gracious
gentleman, was talking 20 visitor
behind she stage at the Lyric. In
front the play WIS proceeding. Now
and then, through the wings Of the
drops the voice of an actor sound
81 rather family to those behind.
Once or twice the patter Of applause
from the audience was heard. Mr..
Tiaokett talked on and smiled on, ap-
parently unheedtng the play and It's
lines.
Suddenly, IN the middle OF a laugh,
he broke OH.
EXCUSE me-" he satd. and dashed
toward the stage. Then he made
an entrance, graceful and dignifed. as
befits thu hero, and became part of
the play. No sound nor signal had
come to warn him that II was time
10 enter. Talking to his visitors. he
apparently was unaware that such
thing ss n play or an audience was
within miles.
How in the world DO you manage
TT" his visitor asked him, when the
scene was over and he had retired
behind ths scenes again.
Mr.. Hackett laughed. Not indul-
gently or patroniEingly, you must
understand, because Mr.. Hacaett is
not the person to make his visitor
feel at all uncomfortable or ignorant.
Rather his laugh was disparaging OF
his own feat
"A Simple Feat"
"Ch, It's simple enough he ex-
planned. ut comes OF the method by
which we memoriae our parts, II
comes also of the fact that every
actor has a subconsciousness through
which he follows the play, while ne
is doing something else as well lie
knows how many speeches there are
in every scene, how many lines, how
many entrances and exits and thus
knows Just when he is wanted, and
just what he is to DO.
"-rhe most important thing. OF
course, is his memory of the speeches
and the general scheme Of the play.
Now. an actor doesn't learn His lines
as A sohoolboy learns speech-not
by walking up and down, repeating
the lines over and over again until
he knows them as a parrot knows
how to talk.
For actors who are playing stock
and who must learn a different play
for each week It would be impossi-
BILE for them to learn their lines in
this fashion. Therefore we learn by
what you might call the sight method
we look first at the printed page OF
the play. and take in the page az n
whole. We learn how many speeches
there are on each page, Just how
many lines in each speech, We
learn the component elements of the
play, knowing then how long each
character with remain on the stage
and just how much each one will say.
Then we are equipped We can
IN talk with
visitors, play among ourselves and
have no nervous dread that we shall
miss a cue.
Must Understand Role.
las to learning our own lines the
same intelligent method is followed.
IL is not so desirable that AN actor
learn his part word for word as that
he understands II, knows the mes
sage that he must carry and knows
exactly what his lines mean. The
significance of the lines, rather than
the words is the thing we go after
Then, when 1t happens, which is not
often, that actors forget their lines
he predicament is not so terrible
because, while he does not know the
words, he knows the sense of what
he should say. and II he has any self
possession and aiRptability at all, he
can talk around IT, saying something
that is at least sensible, until the
words come back to him, or until he
gets q hint from some other actor
as to what he should say
But even at that. forgetting ones
lines is an awful thing Personally.
l have sensation like extreme
nausea, right here" he indicated that
part of his anatomy where the stom
ach is supposed to be located.
But we who play stock, a new
play each week, must school our
selves TO these things We must have
self-confdence and self possession
above everything else, and must know
how to say something even If that
something IL not the exact text of
our speech. Thus. we must study the
play and our parts especially with
great intelligence
"Of course. when only one play Ia
nsed an entire season, the matter
is simple After a few weeks the
actors come to know the production
word for word. They know the other
parts as well as their own They
work mechanically. II is possible for
them to remain in the dressing room
smoking, chatting, even reading, and
10 walk out onto the stage at the
exact moment they are required,
1.-THE FIRST night Of each week is the
trying time for stock performers
Then IT IS that the first performance
OF a certain play is given They are
not so sure OF themselves or of their
parts. They work intensely. with a
keen energy and vigor. Thus IT is
hat Monday night is always the best
performance they give, because they
are keyed up TO an intense pitch.
Afterward, II is rather simple.
But you must admit that Il is
some strain. even TO the trained
minds of actors. to learn n new play
each week, as we are doing during
our work here in Atlanta"