The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-01-03
An Interesting Record of the Distin-
guished Actors First Years
on the Stage

I place like Southeud, Grnye>Cud tror-
den. Brighton Bournemonth. Warwick
and the Town Hall in Stratfort on
| Avon ON our first night had to ap-
| pear as Max in THE Swiss Cottage,
which was a baritone part. Then we
/ played "A Naval Engagement which
/ was Il piece I'm two acts. and ended up
with "Hester's Mystery in which I
played Joel an old mau of seventy.
The next night ! would play Claude
| Melnotte. the next night Romeo. the
next night Hamlet. Ssatauio In THE
Merchant Of Venice" and Sir Peter
Teazle Ia The School for Scandal"
/ ana Captain Absolute in The Rivals.
We didn't get any salary, but we
got our living paid
! During this tour we were PLAYING in
| the suburbs Of Birmingham and liy-
! ing in 4 boarding house IN the city.
/ When We got home one night the man
| ager of company that was playing
| ''The Silver King nj the principal
theatre think II il called he Princes
or the Princess 's--Gsked Miss lie Clerq
| IL she had any young man who could
60 on and play the part If Corkctt in
'.1he Silver king he faI16wiHg day.
/ as he man they had wa taken very
! ILL., / was chosen. learned the part
overnight and played It the next night.
| Our little company played the rest Of
| the week without me- and ! had the
I honor Of playing with one Mr.. Brooks,
foYpCy,5 ,t, fI,., S.Iry.r
King IN England.
! Al the end Of. this tour Miss lie
! Clcra took me Ia Henry Irving and
/ was engaged to play In his coming
| Stakespeareau production of Twelfth
! Night" The part assigned ma Was
| thar ~ the page to Duke Orsino. This
| got Oh my nerves, as was c0uccited
enough tn think | ought to be playing
| a bigger part I walked ont Of the
| theatre one day mo a cheap pub of
| the strand and there | net Il man
I called Horace Barry. "a brother Of
| Hcnei Barry who played in America
| He asked me TO go down To Ramseate
and Join his stock company 10 play all
/ bis lending juvenile parts. and said he
/
! So. without sending any regrets Ia the
stage manager Uf the Irving coupgny
/ or to Miss lie Clerq packed my bag
and iourncved with him. To Ramseata
discovered thc thtnatrs.szvssa were 10
| play. which had the wonderful name
Of the 81 James Theatre. was most
extraorriinary building. The stage WIS
j 8
about thirty feet In breadth, should
think. and the window that faced on
the sidewalk of the street was The
back wall of tbs Stage. ~ tlat the
| people could moi look In aud see lis
lthey used 70 cover the window with
theatrical posters. sticking them on the
glass. OF course il was very amusing
for the people who were passing along
the street bcciusc they could see our
shadows, 2esticulatmg and moving
abont on these posters. and Of course
, they could hear our voices, for in those
days we were very young and virile
and used 10 shout our heads off The
audience sat ou, In ghat would be-the
j. back yard this was covered with can
vaa and had wooden forms for seNtS,
The audience bad 10 NFslE-a+n~'4' prs,
sageway hy the side Of the house to
get if>,--
J opened with this company IN a
piece that they Ind written themselves
. from novel by Miss Rrsddon, called
! "'rhe ~-ai' q the Serpent'', We called
II "Hitt f97 Cold ! afterwards played
e C'c--ss2 fr Moths" the part tl'ai
KTtse t7-t5ew mir -.at. and whtCh madF
. htnl Fa.rops III London.
'rtsel The Insraree'et,j came 80 the
conclusion that eorta Nisy The tins
parts better thar The .oo1iaa ~ SC
\ hey put him IN another J,o7' .a1 and
"a ye me All rhe ieediag parls alter
nstes; he parts Of Dick Swireiirr anf
4 9uslp aitn Mfr Ba7ry III The olt Cnri
y osity slRf@ They used IL make ms
: play Hamlet every Saturday night, and
after Hamlet I used To have to sins
3 the part Of Max IN THE SWISS Cot
l tags They had IN ifies ii nas I
' m rcd eehesss ~ satnr5ay nigh
Il & y IL a "a VI