Show I 1 ITHE ACTOR TOR FAVERSHAM AND THE STAGE HAND Stage hands and firemen fremen are the he heroes heroes heroes roes of America I mean It 1 and I jolly joly well wel know what Im Im talking about in making the assertion If I 1 were Roose Roosevelt Roosevelt velt elt and the country should be plunged into war without any time for preparation preparation tion ton I would choose some theatrical managers manager for generals gen take the actors the for noncommissioned officers and working staff ItI for Cor fighting men Victory would perch on the banners then Seriously we hear a great deal said about the hard life Ifo of the soldier and sailor Bailor There fine ine men but they arent In It I with the tha men of ot whom I speak for tor they enjoy their sleep and their pleasures In a way that the millionaire does not know and could not buy while the working staff of a theater drop and andrise andrise andrise rise to light fight again drop and rise like the soldiers under Wellington Many Ia a time I have seen Sen one of ot these chaps fall tal right down too ton tired tred to hold bold himself erect Often they will prop themselves against a piece of scenery and take tlc the nap that exhausted nature demands In dark crannies and amI nooks behind the scenes are often ofen the only resting places they know for days at a aA ae aA e I A working staff staI as a the carpenters carpenter scene shifters electricians are called cale travels with wih every company and when the actors get through and go to their hotel to get their rest before starting out again It takes take a pretty Indifferent or Dr pretty calloused individual not to have before him constantly the comparison comparison comparIson ison of his lot with wih that of the men on whose fidelity much of his success de depends depends depends When the curtain rings down at 11 1 then their trouble begins All An the scenery scenery scenery ery bit by bit bi has to be taken down and every piece of property has has to be covered in wadding and If 1 It ItIs ItIs Is breakable Sometimes there will wi be hundreds of ot dollars dollar worth of china glass and to be moved Af At After After Atter ter this is I done it is placed on the trucks truck and ad taken to tho the station may Inay be across town There is no time timeto to loiter agility and carefulness are arc requisite qualities The scenery may maybe maybe maybe be on board the earn rara bv b almost super superhuman superhuman superhuman human effort by 30 or i u 0 and the probability probability ability Is that the straIn starts stats at 6 Theres Teros an a hour or so In which they may get a a cup of coffee and a snatch of sleep Bleep wherever they th y can cani find d a apIa place pIa co It I coI Is not we actors actor alone who appreciate elate cate the Importance of these people sometimes they appreciate It them themselves themselves themselves selves selves I remember on one occasion of thu th final rehearsal of or Aristocracy In New York there had been a great deal of Df trouble In getting things into run running rn ning fling order owing to various unexpected complications that arose Finally all al the difficulties were ad adjusted ju and I heard a tired tred at last from Mr lips as we sat side sideby sideby sideby by side in tho the auditorium Just at that moment one of the carpenters came down the aisle and as the cur curtain curtain tain tam slowly rose and the first sylla syllables syla bIos bles fell tel on our waiting ears he leaned over tapped Mr Frohman on the shoulder shoulder shoulder der and said sid exultantly oft off on Charlie Charle To return to the working stan staff The car that leaves leave the station staton at 6 may be due at the next stopping place at nt 12 the tired tred men have ridden In pas passenger passenger coaches All An very well If I It was for one Journey joure but when you ou think that they take that kind of a trip with without wih without out having had sufficient sleep all al v through the rush and roar of ot a season on the road rad you appreciate the lack of complaint Jut Jurt aS a soon as the train gets in the cars ears with wih the scenery are shunted to the side track and the un unpacking unpacking packing loading the trucks and the subsequent unpacking unpacking at the theater and putting Into place lace follows Usually we get to a place with Just time enough h to get things ready for tor re rehearsal rehearsal hearal and that may be followed by a matinee performance Between that and the evening performance there are a thousand things to t do and after ater that is over oer begin the weary round again agin L I 1 remember talking with Sir Henry Henr Irving once on this subject and he said that he considered cO the tha American stage stagehand stagehand stagehand hand the gamest man he knew And he hewa was wa right |