Show I Some Pleas of the I New York Sun It has been said that ninetynine people out or of every hundred have at omo time In their lives had a desIre to togo togo go upon the stage The number of people in New York atone alone who ho make I theIr living by helping oth others ra embark on a stage carer Is s shown own by the fact that there us are more than dramatic schools in the city nIl all of them in a more or less flourishing coit There Thero are In addition to these schoola choal agencies which make a business or of securing employment nt for members ot of the raw recruit or veteran and supply managers with anything from tragedians to stage car carpenters penters These agencies for the most part pan make no pretense of teaching the dramatic art Their has ha to todo todo do solely with the securing of engage engagements engagements ments on a commission basIs The dramatic schools are prone to hold out to the amateur the prospect of securing a good engagement at the end ot of the school course On the other hand the amateur stands small chance of receiving much consideratIon at the hands of the regular agents The agent knows from experience that outside ot of the chorus or the Ro Ho Homan man army roles show People do not care to experiment with raw material when there are so many finished artists to be had for tor the asking He knows to that the untrained amateur Is lull full ot of lOfty Ideals and large demands and andIs Is pretty certain to be dIssatisfied with the position which he may reasonably expect to secure In the beginning The schools on the other hand are looking for tor beginners Their missIon Is Isto Isto to take the raw youth from the coun country country try find out what he has In him and andI I if he has any natural talent brIng It to the surface The president of what Is probably the best known dramatic school in the country declares that the true of the dramatic instructor Is not so 50 much to get everybody on the stage as to discourage those who could never by any possible chance make a success In the theatrical world titus thus acting as a buffer between the stage and the He also is the authority for the state statement statement ment that the hardest person In the I world to turn Into a successful per performer performer former Is that unreasoning blindly enthusiastic person who Is called stage struck The reason assigned for this Is that the person who goes on the stage for the fascination It holds rather than with a well defined Idea ot of mak makIng makIng Ing it a business Is more than likely to balk at the drudgery of rehearsals and shrink from the seamy behind the scenes phase of the work The great majority of the applicants are of course women and according to the assertions or of the instructors they are much more difficult to deal with than the men In the first place most of them think of the stage primarily manly marily as a place to exhibit their charms and second secondly as a life work I and art The men on the other hand are for the most part necessarily self supporting and willing to take an any part which will assure them of a living and anda a chance to advance step by step I One agent In New York makes a practice when a novice presents him himself himself self of InquIring what reason induced the step The reasons given are varied One of the principal reasons outside of the mere love of the art is that sue suc success cess on the stage lends social prestige ThIs reason of course is given by those who have not enjoyed social position One of the commonest answers among the girls who seek places in the chorus is th the frank assertion that they want to get married and that the stage seems to offer the best opportunity of securing ing a husband with means The life Ufe of the agent Is by no means a path Df ros roses s The conscientious there are many of them has many times s to refuse mone money offered by some actor or actress who wants to buy a conspicuous place In some big company It is not entirely philanthropy or Puritan principles that makes It out of the question for the reputable agent to listen to such a proposition It is business sense He knots knovs that If he should make one false step and give his backing to an applicant who is certain to prove in incompetent incompetent competent he would lose the busIness of the manager whose confidence he has abused HIs is a position of trust and responsibility and without the good goodwill will of the managers his livelIhood is gone If you should get an idea of the tact and shrewdness required of the sue suc successful dramatiC agent pa pay a visit to tn toone one of the agencies in the neighborhood of or streets and Broadway I Go early In the morning and stay until afternoon when I Ithe the agent shuts up shop and sighs with I relief after the strain of the day Oh Ob i serve the number of callers and the constant strain upon the patience ot of the man behind the desk i At 9 in the morning he hc is I ready for the days business Just let em wait another five min mm i utes Johnny and then turn em loose I one ODe at a time says the agent consult lag the 1st on his desk where the i name flames of those e who have appointments are re Inscribed I They must be attended to first and after them an audience will be granted to those who have dropped In without previous notification to the office Out In the anteroom there is a shut shuC fling of feet as the boy throws open the thedoor thedoor door of the sanctum and Impressively ushers in the first applicant of the day She Sho is a taU tall rather fleshy young Woman with a feathery broad brimmed hat You think yOU recognize her but that hat Is because she Is a type If you searched your memory you OU would find that her features and gener general generl al l appearance are connected In your recollection with the last Saturday matinees you Is this th the managers office she inquires timidlY This Is the office of the superintendent dent of the agency replies the man behind the desk motioning her to be seated and glancing at his list You are Miss JUS Romaine are you not The girl nods affirmatively the name I gave when I wrote you for an appointment she continues Its my nom de plume you know Its not n necessary to give my myreal myreal real name Is It ItI itI I should much prefer It Is the an answer answer You know if we are going to transact business Is It if we come to an any sort ot of an agreement there wili wiIl be contracts to sign and all of that Its much more businesslike and safer for both of us to talk str straight I dont like to give my myreal myreal real name SM says 5 the girl hesitating Then In a burst of confidence You see my eople dont know Im looking for a place on the sta stage e They think I came to town to study music and if the they knew I was going on the stage Im afraid arald stop it and maKe me come home This is your our first experience In the theatrical Yes but I have lots of recitations and been In a amateur a per S up in Utica My friends think I am good on elocution uNo No doubt no doubt you are and it If take my advIce young young lad lady stick to the elocution and the music and be content with the admira admiration admiration tion of yoUr friends and family There are two reasons why I cannot get you youth th the you ask for in your note or rather why I will not In the first place the they are not looking for lor new ones to break in and have tIme to do it before they go on the road And moreover we e are ot in inthe Inthe the business ot of inducIng young girls to go on the stage against th wl wishes hes of their parents The Tho agent touches the button and the boy holds open the door The girl leaves a The next vISitor Is a chorus man of two or three years experience and an agreement Is quickly reached with the agent As the chorus man departs D a brunette In a red frock en enters enters unannounced brushing the office boy to one side Bide in her Impatience Look here she cries Ignoring the greeting of the agent got me down for tor an old womans part and I wont have It I told you I take anything like Uke that and aid I 1 mean It Do you think I m going to paint a lot lotof ot of old wrinkles on my face tace and look old for tor 60 50 a week Not for tor mine Ill chuck the whole game first and I dont care it if I never get another job with for tor the rest ot of my nat natural natural ural life You try and see If you cant get me something decent or Ill call calI it oft off and go down to Un Understand Understand 1 r The agent understands and after five minutes conversation the brunette leaves somewhat pacified Now a steady stream or of callers con continues continues for two hours until the list of appoIntments Is exhausted and then the others are received The first two are have been assured by their friends that they closely r resemble 5 Maude Adams and would prove a windfall to that actress should she be bein bein in need ned of an understudy They felt feIt that she must be In need ot of at least one The agent assures them that Miss Adams has not notified him of any such cryIng need but It If they will wUI come around in about six months he will look the matter up in the meantime Following them Is a dapper little UttIe man manIn manIn In a gray suit who enters with an air of confidence and is apparently Jar wIth his surroundings AU All right Charley Chancy says nays the agent grinning Ive got it all fixed for you there and better go around and andreport andreport report at once as you are du due for a readIng at 3 this afternoon The little man expresses his appreciation refuses an invItatIon to smoke and leaves It is noon and there will wUl be no more business transacted before The first person to present himself In Inthe the afternoon is a large overgrown young man who has a dramatization of a no novel el entitled Riches Is Not AU Ali He would like to get It staged The agent explains that he Is not In the business as an angel or a stage mana manager ger and consequently cannot help him out a a a aA A girl Is ushered In She Is plainly embarrassed but finds voice enough to say I want to go on the stage and they told me you could get m me what I want if anybody could Do my best to oblige is the laco laconic laconic nic reply of the agent He knows what is coming and his soul is filled with the wearIness of a burden long borne The child blushes stammers and finally exclaims In a voice filled with exasperation ration at her own awkwardness I want to play And then it begIns persuasIon fatherly advice cc youthful disappointment tears and general col collapse collapse lapse on the part of the agent The girl departs feeling that the door of heaven has been rudely closed in her face faceA A tall taIl thin man with a weeks beard approaches the desk Well what can I do for you asks the agent Looking for a job Do I took look like a 8 man who would dome ome In here bere looking for a ham sand sandwich sandwich or an automobile garage par parries parries ries the visitor As there Is no answer anser he continues Im looking for a job sure I beat up these stairs with the e express press pur purpose purpose pose ot of getting a job I suppose you want to know what experIence I have bave had I used tt tb play with Edwin Mayo In Wilson You did 1 exclaims the agent sit sitting sitting ting up in sudden surprIse What part did you take Well you rem In the first act where the twins arrive there is a scene whore where the steamboat comes to the landing Yes Wen Well I was the whistle In that case replies the agent ris nis rising log ing and dosing closing his desk I 1 guess Ill can call It a days work and as you ou seem to be good at can whistle for the tho job T Co r |