Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-11-10
BEHIND THE SCENES


movies and the drama Is an old
story, but the spotlight is rarely
focused on the hidden side of vaude-
Vile.
The vaudeville player differs from
the actor in a three-act play in that
he has no manager travelling with
his production to take care of
trunks, scenery and music. Nearly
every week he plays on a different
stage, with different furniture about
him, and a different orchestra in
front, and IL anything o wrong
with his act, he is responsible.
If you watch the stage entrance to
a vaudeville house any Monday
mornin gyou will see the actors for
the week going in to rehearsal.
About nine o'clock they begin to
drift in and wander about the stage,
consulting the property man and
the electrician, locating dressing
rooms, renewing ac~quaintances with
other players who happen to be on
the bill that week.. The electrician
goes about jotting down on a chart
which ones want a spotlight, or COL
ored light, or any other special eff
feet Carpenters and stage hands
begin rolling down drops painted
like forests and city streets from the
dim upper regions.
The property man has received
from each set of actors a plan of
the scene showing what properties
will be needed. If a bust of George
Washington, a red bandana hand
kerchief, or a special curtain is used
in an act the actors carry it with
them. But ordinary furniture and
settings are supplied by the theatre.
The plan which the property man
holds, perhaps. calls for studio, full
stage. Two telephones, telephone
bell, three gold chairs, piano lamp,
curtains at window The property
man says these r ordinary pieces
of stage furniture and can all be got
out of the property room just off the
stage where live" props-those Oft
en- used-are kept.
The plan for the next act, howev-
er, calls for a colonial kitchen.
Hardest kind of a set to get to-
gether," remarks the property man.
Have to go up to the store room"
An elevator shoots us up to the
fifth floor of the theatre, to a room
stocked like a well-equipped old at
tic or a secondhand furniture store.
He digs out a spinning wheel from
under a pile of wicker porch chairs,
and a kettle is discovered back of q
throne chair, all red velvet and gilt
paint.
IT made that throne" says the
property man. Took the legs of an
old square piano for the legs. and
the pedals for the arms. l made this
grandfathers clock. too" and he
points to a tall wooden. cardboard
faced clock. which at a few feet
would certainly deceive anyone.
To-. - A. rw@k ALA s.,.
while I'm up here" he mumbles
from the depths of a heap of chairs
and tables. Here it is. You see its a
a round wooden pan with a hand
full of shot in it. When you rattle 1t
around, it sounds just like rain. For
surf we use this wire netting box
with oyster shells inside. You rock 1t
steadily back and forth to get the ef-
feet of the roll of the waves. We
bang a bass drum for thunder, and
drop this bucket of glass and ron
scraps for a crash off-stage. To get
the effect of approaching horses
hoofs, we beat two cocoanut shells
on a carpet for turf, or on a piece of
concrete for street.
Ever see stage books? We take
a round piece of wood like a broom
handle, and split it. and paint each
half to look like the back of a book.
The halves are glued to the shelves
of a bookcase. Most of our props are
bought, though"
When we descend, the stage looks
and sounds more chaotic than ever,
for rehearsal with the orchestra has
just begun. A rowboat is being put
together by a stage hand under the
direction of an actor who has brought
1t in sections to use in his cene. Be-
hind this bit of carpentry, the stage
is weirdly dressed in a drop curtain
representing a long vista of a ball
room, with garden flies" belonging
to a different act IN each side, and
pieces of a lowered silk curtain are
being put together and hung from a
pole in front of. h forest.
Down at the front of the stage a
dancer hands the orchestra a set of
books with his music inside.
open with the introduction twice.
at strict tempo" he says. Then. off
suddenly, and when I hold out my
hand to the girl. swing into Love
Me-"
The orchestra leader mods, and the
introduction is played, while the
young dancer jerks his head and his
loot 70 show the time he wants.
That's it. Now for the next num-
Der, l want the drums strong at the
end" So he goes through the act
pointing out the Irregularities in the
score and the cues and insisting on
the time being just so. Only the diff
ficult parts are played, for there is
not time to rehearse everything.
The next number is an elaborate
production with a large cast and a
great. deal of music. 1t has brought
along it's own orchestra leader, SO
the regular director sits down in the
front row of the orchestra chairs to
rest.
Dancers are always nervous
about their music" he explains, re-
ferring to the vanishing dancer and
his girl partner. 1.-THE least varia-
ton from the proper time may
throw them out of step, or spoil the
effect of a finale.
There's the inspector from the
fire OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES to a man
in blue uniform who is carefully
trying to set fire to some blue and
silver curtains. He comes in every
Monday to see that the curtains,
paper flowers, and other decorations
brought by the actors are fireproof-
ed.
1.-THE big drop curtain in this the
atre is steel asbestos, nine inches
thick. 1t weighs fourteen tons, and
when it's down you can hardly hear
the orchestra behind the scenes. II
would take an hour to burn through
1t. Remember that old theatre fire
in Washington, when not a piece OF
the asbestos curtain, that was sup
posed to be fireproof. could be found
in the wreck?" sts Oh
When the rehearsal is over, and
we go back on the stage. it is sci
for the first act of the afternoor