Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-06
BY ACTRESSES
BY DIR. FRANK CRANE.
Copyright, 1912

There are thousands of girls who
are anxious to go on the stage. Every
city has hundreds. The story of Elise
Bartlett. who has been playing in
please Get Married" at the Fulton
Theater tNew York;, and her advice
to these girls is suggestive.
She was born in Union City. Tenn.
She began by getting a solid educa-
ton at home and then studied in
Paris. She says to girls everywhere
that no girl should go on the stage
unless she has good home or an in
come. She goes on to say: The first
two years Of sage salary do not yield
enough to pay even for clothes. Be
sides having a good home or an in
come. girls should thoroughly ground
themselves educationally for the work.
Lessons in English, French, elocution.
singing. fencing, dancing, boxing
should form part of the curriculum
After that-go into stock. There is
no better school of the theater than
stock, provided one doesn't take the
lesson too long. After your stock
season. if you have managed to land
a Broadway job, be careful of what you
do in your spare time. Take further
lessons in the things you feel you lack.
so that you may be equipped to stand
on the top terrace instead of barely
hanging by the bottom rung of the lad
der
All of which information / get from S.
Jay Kaufman. who is walking Who S
Who" as to stage folk.
And all of which means that to sue
coed in the theatrical profession about
the same things are necessary as are
requisite in any other.
In other-words-
/. You must have ability.
.. You must learn the game and
keep the rules"
3. You must work hard.
4. And you must get chance.
AS to number one, you must believe
thoroughly in your own ability. and you
must get other people to believe in it.
Neither will do without the other.
The second point means that you
change conditions. Adjust yourself to
them. You can change yourself lot
more easily than you can change the
world or the theatrical managers. Find
the line of least resistance, use your
head. Don't complain. Try another
way.
If you want magazines to accept your
stories see what kind they have been
printing and send in that kind-at first,
anyway, until you have secured repu-
tatIOn. Ihere are quite as many CUT
ventions, prejudices, habits and tradi-
tons in the theater as in the church.
Keep the rules--until you are big
enough to break them.
Third, work. Get all the education
and special training possible before you
begin, and after you have begun keep
on learning and training. The continual
success is continually at school
And. fourth. you must get a chance:
While real and inward success. of
course, does not depend at all upon
chance. but is mathematically certain If
you observe the spiritual laws. it is not
SO with getting on in the worfu, nor IN
any trade. calling or profession thereof.
There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which taken at it's flood leads on to for
tune.
Worldly success depends on two
things-you and events. There can be
no doubt that luck has had to do with
all OF u.s. =.
The trouble is that some of us are not
equipped and ready for luck when II
comes And sometimes it does not
come.
It's a game. a great adventure. You
must play it hard, yet always be above
it, ready at any time to drop 1t 1or
things more worth while.
Acting is play. But behind all perfect
play stands a deal of hard work