Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-12-01
OTIS SKINNER
On Live Dramatic Art

THE big, direct appeal to the emotions is
l. the most needed quality in dramatic art
today. in the opinion of Otis Skinner. dis
tingushed actor, who is now appearing in
modern detective play in the city.
There has been distinct advance among
things theatrical in everything except the
most vital things" said the actor. Ger
tainly the estate of the actor is better than
it ever has been at any previous time.
'In the days when first tried my hand at
acting as member of q stock company IN
the building occupied by Dumont's min
strelS things were not so easy for the ACTOR
as they are now. Then we were regarded
more as nomads and roustabouts than any
thing else. The only club he had was the
saloon. 1t is doubly fortunate that things
have changed, when one considers that all
our clubs have been legislated out OF exist
ence.
Now the actor has n place in the sociai
scheme. He has his own clubs, first class
ones ut that. He has more leisure time ana
better chance to inform himself, and py
special reading and general education to lm-
prove his art. He Is also much petter pau.
'In the old days the actor went through
the school of experience. We had plenty
of stock companies and each man in his
time played many parts Sometimes one
would have four or five parts week. we
learned TO act to sing, to dance, to fence,
in fact, all the fundamentals OF stage en-
tertainment. But there il this to be SAID
acting then was more dependent upon I'LL
pulse A., ,. ,
more of q prOmpter than anything else. IL
was considered an affront then II one was
requested to act during rehearsal. Inc
actor rehcarsing his role would walk up or
down stage and at what was considered the
proper point turn and deliver his line or
lines or execute a piece of stage business.
Today the stage director is the absolute
arbiter. The actor is not requested, he Is
required to put forth his best efforts during
rehearsal The director, If necessary, helps
any distance in the course of speaking his
lines or Of piece of stage business his steps
ore all carefully counted. The exact spot
where he halts or turns or again proceeds
is chalklined in the directors mind.
."This attention to detail and finish is
today carried almost to the breaking point.
There IL one producer especially in the
country who details commoplaces ut the ex-
pense of almost everything else
"Nowadays one does not depict emotions
ono simply gets impressions. 1t is as if
we were looking at picture of City Hall
and surrounding plaza. But, you say,
lacking hard at the picture, that surely is
not the City Hail. No. is the rcjoinder,
That IA simply an impression of City Hail.
1--WE now dissect psychological point
and spend an evening with 1t. Words upon
words are used up, as is often the patience
of the audience. But with all its finish aud
all it's efficiency, the thing that moves peo-
nie is missing. The big central emotions,
Tho very vitals that tug at one and willy
lilly draw us out of ourselves are not there
1--WE are living in an age of repression.
All during my career i have been imbued
with the idea that my art was for the pur-
nnsa of expression. But now we must re-
nress. We have grown to be ashamed of
pur emotions. Until recently doubt if it
would have been safe for an actor to essay
elemental love making. He might have been
laughed off the stage.
UEyerywhere you see people blase, indf-
farent. callous. Ordinary courtesy is q hard
thing to find. Sympathy, straightforward,
honest laughter, tears or any other emotion
are not to be thought Of. 1t isn't good form,
Vet In spite of ourselves, we respond TO
these emotions when they are powerfully
presented to u.s..
''The pages of Dickens still live. Yet he
frankly presented sob stuff or comic relief
We had our pathetic Little 10 or Tiny Tim.
or Sam Weller with his low comedy. The
villains were strong men of iron, Bill Skies
as an example. But just the same there
was a direct, forceful appeal to the emotions
and the instincts that was elemental and
Consequently they live. Some of our most
successful stage stars have that method of
expression. The Barrymore family is an