Show MARJORIE MARJ RIE WOOD WO OD TELLS HOW HO W SHE II LEARNED TO US LISTEN TEN CORRECTLY BY BT MARJORIE WOOD When I t first tInt went to Mr Belasco I 1 fancied that I knew something about the tho art of or listening Knowing Its Importance importance importance im Im- im- im as a a. factor In good acting I had paid a a. great deal of attention to It It and I 1 believed what I knew would stand me inc In good stead In tho the role rote he assigned to me in iii The Woman V But DUl I had reckoned without my host hoat for tor when I was through with first re rehearsal rehearsal re- re at tho the switchboard where I had hu hunt sat nt for tor hours with an Iron band around m my head and a steel disk over my loft ear thinking that I was showing Mr Belasco the makings of or a perfectly good hello hollo girl girl and and I want to say eay right here that only that fond belief belle sustained sus us tamed mo me through those long hours of or torture when torture when I 1 was through for tho the I Ida da day Mr Belasco called me aside e and said ery very seriously My Iy dear little girl Irl you ou do 10 your part beautifully Siddons Siddons Siddons Sid Sid- dons Rachel and Bernhardt couldn't do doIt doIt doit It better 1 If they tried I am tremendous tremendously ous pleased for tor you are arc going to be bethe bethe the talk of the tho town tonn when The Woman opens In New Ne York You are arc the telephone telephone tele tele- phone girl cirl to tho the lifo life only you will have to learn to listen And so I began in earnest to learn how to listen In order to help me In eVer every wa way possible to lIst listen n Intelli gently Mr Belasco had the telephone I 1 used in the tho play connected with Ith the thes s switchboard in the tho Belasco offices upstairs upstairs up up- stairs as it continues to be evet every night of the week This obviated tho the effects on the ear of or a dead telephone If It I had to sit as long IonS as I do with a dead wire attached my face tace would have havo a a. tendency to grow wooden and Then tho the act actual nl work of ot learning to listen be began an In tho the first place following Mr Belasco's Belasco's Be- Be lascos lasco's advice I arranged to go o to the offices of ot the New r York Telephone company ever every morning and watch the operators there I studied the expression sion slon of their eyes their nostrils an and above everything else of ot their mouths mouth and chins as ns the they sat with the steel bands about their heads heals Little by little little lit lit- tle tic I 1 began to observe that this ox- ox was quite different from what It was when the they were listening In the ordinary way off duty I 1 be began an to observe that the girl who made mado her living at tho the switchboard listens in a aVa away away Va way which while it is alert and spirited spirited spir spir- in one souse sense is nt ut the same timo very mechanical in another In other words sho she listens subconsciously au au- au- au It is the tho only way she could do her work work- effectively as asas was as proved to me mc over and over again In conversation I had with various oper operators operators tors t- t ors of ot man many years years' the tho most expert In the service From all this I 1 learned that If tr I were to make the au audience forget torget ever everything else about mo me except that I was a really really real real- ly hy truly trub telephone girl Airl working for tor an honest living at a Q Washington hotel I 1 would havo have to learn to listen In this same sarno automatic and subconscious mann manner man man- n ner e r. r My experience In trying to learn the listening art helped me somewhat In tho difficult task before me but It was weeks and weeks before I was able to r JV- JV V V 9 V V y V V V V V 4 V r fr ii V David ld Instructing Marjorie Wood In the t telephone In InThe The Woman hie cornea comes to fo the Snit Salt Lake hake theatre November 11 1213 13 I give Sivo just the right t touch to my per per- per As long IonS as I 1 had something to say sayar or to do I 1 was all right of or course That's Thal's easy enough for tor anybody any any- bod body But nut the times In the tho first ac act when I Just sit there thero like Ince a bump on ona ona a a. log so 50 to speak it was agony gon until i I had learned to do it subconsciously as Mr Belasco expressed it Two or three times I almost gave ave up In despair I felt I never could get It and antI then suddenly it Just seemed to come to mo me all at once Tho The way you learn to ride a bicycle you rou know That's the wa way It was with this part and then when I realized that I had it ft t and ana Mr Belasco congratulated me and patted mo me on tho the shoulder I remembered what Mr rr Belasco Delasco had told us the day of ot our first rehearsal Dont be discouraged even If Ir after atter works of ot hard work you ou aro are still sUll unable unable unable un un- un- un able to attain ln the effect you are trying for for for- for for-don't ont don't be e discouraged because it will come como sooner or later and it will come in a moment in a flash as it were an inspiration And remember that no inspiration was over born of ot anything save savo hard work |