The Detroit times., 1915-05-20

dom learned until there 10 no longer
any future for which TO plan.
On Wednesday NJ 8 o'clock | left
my boarding house for my first re-
hearsal. felt very important and
quite like real actress "a | en-.
tered the stage door OF the theater.
as Mr.. Bemis had told me to do.
The room on the left OF the hall as
you entered the place. where previ.
ously the girls applying for posi-
lions In the chorus had waited. was
now empty. glanced into II as
passed and went on. Again. still
further down the hall and at the
right, the room with the plano In II
where Mr.. Bemis had tried my voice
and engaged me was also empty |
hesitAted at the door, confused.
Where else To go7 And then from
far ahead of me. through the dark
ness. heard the jangle OF a not
very tuneful piano. and guessed
rightly the thing for me 10 do was
TO hud II.
| followed the sound Down a
few steps. up few steps. along to
the right. and then suddenly | came
out upon what thought at the first
instant was n large room. Twenty.
Ave or thirty girls were standing
talking together in groups at one
side. man was playing on the
piano and humming tentatively
through certain airs from the music
before him. II was he I had heard.
Mr. Bemis. his coat on. paced back
and forth talking loudly and ARMY
with another man who walked With
him. In stlll another group were
three or four women and two or
three men. very e1pensively dressed,
talking and laughing at each other.
These. Was afterward 10 learn,
were the principals" OF the cast.
And as my eyes focused and
searched out the various groups,
and my mind adjusted itself TO the
new environment, II suddenly
dawned upon me actually VAS up
on the stage.
The great arch with It's abyss OF
darkness. behind II was the orches'
ira. where the people who would
como 10 the performance would sit.
In the shadow beyond. my eyes
caught the curve OF the box rails.
Ny heart began TO pound with ex-
element At last I was looking out
at life from that side OF the foot.
lights which always had seemed TO
me so fascinating.
had scarcely stood on the stage
for more than n very few moments
and had time TO make the casual
comments TO myself. when Mr.. Be
mis- paused suddenly In his walk
and clapped his hands. At once there
was silence.
"Sit down. everybody" he COM
manded IF you can't find places
TO sit. sit on the floor. Principals
over here. women OF the chorus
there. men OF the chorus here. Now,
then. sopranos step forward.
Two-thirds OF the girls In the
chorus separated themselves from
the others. with them.
snow. then. you girls stop here"
went on Mr. Bemis. Now the con-
traltos. tenors. baritones-"
On he went. giving one rapid com
mand after the other in crisp tones.
Almost at once order came out OF
chaos. In a half hour We were sort
ed and each had been handed our
music and our parts As he finished
with the others. | stood looking over
my own pages OF notes. They were
confusing enough to an amateur. (
would have expected that all the
music for the entire production
would have been handed me, and
that / would have learned simply
the part of It | was TO sing. But
that is not the way manuscripts are
given out either for musical or dra-
matte performances. Each persons
10 take part in a play is given only
his or her own words to be SUNG or
spoken: so that at FIRST the reading
II confusing, and one IL not even
very sure OF the sense OF the whole
until II Ia fitted together In the
longer rehearsals.
As for me. this was my first little
disappointment: for l had wanted
very much 10 read ut once the story,
part OF which was to become. Pres
eentIy the "principaIs" were dis.
missed for the morning and we, the
chorus, settled down to work. II
was humdrum. and not very e1cit-
Ing. although new enough TO me to
be interesting. Over and over we
sang one line. First the sopranos.
then the tenors, then the baritones
and basses Finally we sang one
line together-a feeble and not very
melodious effort. After hours OF
work we had attained perhaps two
bars OF music in something the style
IN which the musical director wished
US 10 sing II. was dazed. felt
"a though Il must be far past din
ner time. when finally the man who
had been rehearsing us told us We
might 20 and get our luncheon.
looked NJ my watch. II was
only o'clock, | slipped into my
coat. new down the long. dark hall
that lod TO the stage entrance and
out into the street. For moment
stood dazzled by the brilliant sun