The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-01-06
'DOUGHBOYs LEARN
THE ART OF ACTING
broadway Performers Are Put on Mo-
tfcc BY Miss Alice r. Chamberlain.

r.. comes marching nome, let BROAD
way actors beware. For between
shells. over there in France, the
American army has learned the art OF
, "playacting." and such has been their
success at staging live productions
that the United States Is going to be
minus plumbers japd carpenters and
plus actors, when the shaking down
process is ALI over. At least, that is
what Miss Alice F. Cham berlain, a
Y. NJ. CT A. entertainer of Rochester,
New York. brings back as the latest
news f-omssthe region of the late war.
Miss Chamberlain went over for the
W. in December. 1917. with her ac-
companfst. Miss winifred Hubert, Of
New Haven. Conn, at first just to
sing to the soldiers. Later. when
Joseph b. Smith started. for the Y.
" G. the organizati ton of the Soldier
show system in France, Miss Cham
herlain was the first woman he sent
out to get the soldiers started on their
theatrical careers. Now there is
scarcely a unit in the American army
that does not have its dramatic or
ganizatlon.
'r<etting them started was. ac
cordirg to Miss Cham berlain. all that
was needed of the Y. NJ. c. A., for
/ much as the Yanks had enioyed the
professionals who had come to enter
tain them, still more did they like 70
get up on the stage and give their
own shows. And so the idea grew I'M
til the Americans began to he known
as men of two talents, fighting and
acting.
The 'tY" provided the COSTUMES,
plays, coaches, and scenery. The SOL
diers were the actors, stage man
avnrs. orchestra and audience. he
little blue-eyed one would discard his
| helmet nnd muddy boots, dom. n Paris
| model ana a wig out OF Miss Chr r1her !.
lain's trunk, and. become thefeupon
a chic and beautiful heroine. The
big fellow with the best disposition
in the company would paste himself
IN with fierce mustachies and glover
ing eyebrows. and Storm around in
the villains part. The top sergeant
would be the harsh Papa. and the
latest one of them all would take
turns at being The Irish cook and the
village clown. In an this The audi
ence took vociferous delight, and no
German bomb was ever. made that
could break up a soldier show.
| Under bomb raids they did play
/ too. Miss Chambcr in tells about a
play that the 37th Diyision, Ohio
treops. staged between the first and
second line trenches on the Lorraine
| front
owe gave il in the loft of an old
barn" she relates before dark, as
! during bob raids, there could be no
! lights The bombs hurst near US
/ continually. their racket punctuatinG
! love scenes and murder scenes alike,
hut notdy flickered an evcid. The
show star 100 interesting TO let
= li'tle thing like that interfere. Later
TIE gas alert was sounded and was
h vi led out, Fortunately the show
+ was over, or else ] am sure the Ger
+ mans would have had to wait. For
the soldier would go without food ard
sleep to have his show. He liked IT
better than anything else he had over
there
Everything from prizehghts and
blscktace performances to Barrie one
act plays was included @Ap the roper
/ toire. of the khaki players Some
times. by way of variety, they would
/ write their own PLAYS. once in q
while they painted their own scenery
Usually they had an hour or two al
rehearsal. And always they gavs
shows that back home would have
been cheap at the regulation So Broad
way price. Miss Cham beriain stakes
her reputation on that. There were
dozens of professional theater people
! and clever amateurs in every unit. and
/ they made the standard a very higt
! one.
! Sonnet jmes..a shew would be put or
lte sa ye a sitaatiosf. that was rather eoe
/ much of q strain on tense young
nerves, At an airplane bombing sta
tion, for example, six planes went out
one hot -Iuly afternoon. and the next
day came the news that they had land
ed by mistake on German soil and been
taken prisoner. The loss was a severe
one to tie small group of about let
aviators and the twelve had been the
flower of the camp. and try as they did
s..T.A4str-$
] riors should. the youngsters who Were
left behind were haarthroken. They
sat huddled in their chairs in the ~
hut, pretending to read. but staring un-
seeing at the papers. their minds far
away across tfrs hurter IN u place of
horror. Miss Chamberlain and Miss
Hubert looked at the men, and at each
bther, and then dashed to their stuffy
little room. and pulled out the old
wardrobe trunk Soon the announce
rHeut was tackled up that a show and
a dance were scheduled for that evn.
ing. The boys threw themselves CRATE
fully into the preparations. and ar
hiiarious--if slightly feverish party
twas the outcome.
1 Gee. Miss Chamberlain" one Of the
young pilots said after, IL was all over
you women are real sports to play
/ the game as you do. My buddie was
/ one of tie fellows that got caught ovel
| there. you know" he nodded in the
general direction of Germany. Hes
real guy. too, I'm afraid I'm no
good enough for much. Anyway" HI
added, that was real racket tonight
and were awfaliy much obliged"
| "They felt better the next day. con
ciuded Miss Chamberlain, "and that:
what we did IL for
f, The A. l.. F. is the most critical au-
dience in the world. Miss Chamberlain
says, and they absolutely demand sin
certify.
"Theyr like any honest performance
II you sing opera to them. and slove 4
| yourself they'll love 1t, too. Or il
you sing ragtime with your very pulse
/ tazzing In time, the soldiers will brins
down the house with approval. Blu
don't try to sing something you hate
/ just to please them. They'll recog,
nize in a minute you're not real, ane
they won't like you at ALL"
IRERLIN GREETS NEW