| Show a 40 f W N at SADIE MART 11 fg Nit i i TIP5 FOR AfA NI RS 0 H llt i i7ef Timely Words i of Adrtfbfttjor i to Stage Aspirant N 41 Mlifitiri 5ays Learrj as Mari Miri Partsxas Possible I Pos-sible The Value of Versatility Ig Trail a ir qgFor the 5taje EW OHK Dec 30It Is I ever A NEW delta task to proffer advice to t ose ulao have upto the prost pros-t time en lets fortunate In their chosen pr < mlon than tho dispenser oE auppose113 god counsel However as I am osle 10 tell those 01 my sister ho are 1 lint the Coot 01 the dramatic dra-matic laddi as jell as those who had In ha-d tl I ad ption of tile stage nM n liCe iialoi hOt I conceive to he the most blips alit elements 01 success I chat I endea or to do so It must be un lertood tilt I Blve nothing of what follows as Ineonlrovertlble truths I Daily state hot my observation and ierlence live taught me leaving mj readers tu jllge j whether or not my de Suctions Art eon set Like man other actresses I believe that the oil part actress or netor Is I lot of mUch ceount The player who make a pr louOed hit In 11 certain ole which h > pened to exactly lull his r her pero Ility Is not necesiarllj a rent perColn r hut 1 let that nnle per on score 11 cOess In anothei produc Ion In a chat cr of a widely different lure and I 1m then prepared to ad 1 It that talc t and not accident wash was-h ir cotmn ipelllndforco lo be brief every eon on the tage Is I anxious to be N irded as be Ig veUltlle bit undr he condition Match prevail nt present cry low ot us are entitled to that dis Inctlon In U a days ef stock organ lations when no as olllgel to learnt learn-t least date n w part arid sometimes everal each oa it versalllity Was u no ecialty an of Who succeeded fit unni the glntU t stock house 1 or a seon vvejo entitled to cnnsldcra Ion as tOnwetenl all round actor ut nowadays a player Is I Tatted for n main part because oC his or her po liar adaptability to It Par a season nd perhaps longer no opportunity It l rai to appeal In any other As this Iplles to alt of the actors lit that com ARy the Immcdiat effect Is to producs better erform j n e and so the publl really the In in dlate gainer by the mnge But as I am speaking from the stand Dint > if tile people ot the stage and 5peclall of the who may be called glnnerc It Is I but fair that I s ouU lint out the disadvantages to them ot ntemloraneous method You get an IIgngement to do a certain pat on tbd tb-d Night In arid night out week In nil Ii out you play I that same role it first you conelentlously endeavor o Improve yourself by little touches Ich you think out tram time to time ut after awhile the undue familiar ly Ith your work U esicclally In tile case new people certain to breed a sort of nlempt This Is more apt to be the late It the part olgne you Is I oni hleb ou grow to consider 01 beneath I ur bllltles Then you become slip I and I Your methods with Inevitable a I jury tt your artistic development I At the close of jour season You look about tur another engagement for actors act-ors like other Call must have mane to lIe upon A manager has seen 30U In jour part of last season lie las nothing Just4eR and although your work pleased him 1 ho is not w III Ing to take any chances and very naturally nat-urally enage some olIO whom he has 1 seen In n role similar to the one for nn exponent of which he Is In search This may It hard upon you but It Is business busi-ness The chances are that you will bo confronted by the objection herein suggested sug-gested until you happen to run across a manager who has a part Cry much like the one you 11 u H I last season Then jou may get un eigagtment By thIs time you will have become fairly fair-ly writ Identified with a certain class oC wink and unless there Is soiielhlng open In your line Just nt the time when you ale out of employment you will find It a dimcult mitttrta place yourself your-self This condition will grow more 11 ail el each year until you will dls cover that no one will consider you se tloubly as a performer of anything except ex-cept that which circumstances rand yourself taken In connection with present day method I ave conspired to make what might le called your specialty What has all this to ilo with Vera Wily You will nbl YJI might also suggest that while I have pointed out the objections and dl8ldvantaLes I 1 have prescribed ho remedy But I shall try to do to at oncir If you had at the beginning at you career connected con-nected yourself with Bone stock com Ian 1r even with a traveling repertory rlly reper-tory have organization played a wide you ipull i ngo onf rand parts r-and If jour erformances had been Rood there should bo n1 diniculty In finding employment In any of the sev einl lines which you had essayed that Is I pinvlded always Unit there hai pen ell to bc a manager who wanted you at the time you wanted tim Now as to the remedy The beginner Is I irone to say that while It was possible sometime some-time axe to set I1n cngatemnt with a stock company It Is not possible how for the very excellent reason that there are practically none of them In existence exist-ence now That Is howlver n grave error although It was essentially true five years or less ago There are at the resent time more thin 40 theaters In this country In which stock companies com-panies of real merit art maintained There hOIlSos have regular cllcntl anal tin obliged to prcnt a different play I each week The effort Is also made 10 provide I1S great a variety In the form ot ntertlllnmot as Is Iossl jlecomedy one week drama the next farce the next Frielodrurna the next and so In It will ho readily Been that nn actor Iti such an organization If lie be can EClentlous and If ho bo not he shoUld quit the stage can njiulro a vast I J amount ot experience In a single season sea-son No play ti has it run In these houes The nw piece moist go on am regularly as Monday comes around In tile very large stock companies like those for Instance ii nre connected connect-ed with the Lyceum and Empire 1 then fore of this city the same conditions do i not revall Their ranks are re crultd front among the actors who have made their reputations and m hose names have 11 market value It Is proc t1cally Impossible for a beginner to get Into one of these and although they are nil anxious to do so It Is I a fact that they would he better off from the standpoint ot opportunity to acquire experience In one ot the smaller anti loss pretentious and Il must also te admitted less meritorious organize lions This may sound odd hut 1 It Is true for In a little comIan an I have explained you must get up in jour new part each week whereas In the Empire and Lyceum one play frequently frequent-ly runs rough the greater ortlon of a season 1u cold therefore be no better off with them than with nn or Unary coml nation except for the added care w fifth I la given to tho production pro-duction and rehearsal of plays at thee two prominent New York playhouses It must not be supposed from what I have said that It Is I an easy lOa Iter to get Into one 01 the out oC town stock companies for It Is I not Hut there Is J latill the traveling repertory organization organiza-tion left True only small laces i are visited but experience can be obtain 1 them as well as In the largest city In the world On cnn at least learn the rudiments oC the art ot acting and make up In a email repertory compo nj find 1 that I Is morp than sufficient I to tI i nhc compensate for all tho sacrifice which I may bo necessarj It Is early enough then to begin tile search for bigger ghm and II one Is competent with the training acquired In thc humbler organization lie quest Is almost certain cer-tain to be icwaidM with success Too man players regard the salary without with-out reference to the possibilities for ni limits development The salary Is necessary nec-essary of course but It Is not the only thinG to be considered I have often taken tak-en a part which I liked at n less salary than was offered for one In which I could see nothing which would add to mj artistic reputation In fact even though It be a bIt embarrassing to speak ot ones own carr I shall state some farts In connection with mine simply for the purpose of demonstrating demonstrat-Ing that the adilto which I have herein given Is fclncerc and that to use a cant expression I have 1 been willing to take the medicine which I have prescribed I was born In New York city and as my parents were well provided with this world goods no member of my I family had ever associated me with bread winning After my time lit school I I N ent to the Ursullne I convent In West Chester where studied < l French German Ger-man and music all of which I found ot Inestimable benefit to me in after years I had long ere this begun to Buffer frOm stage fever but my Importunttle were laughed to scorn by my parents 1 was however In dead earnest and my persistence was finally rewarded for I won my mother oCr arid she consented that I might try to get a start I setout set-out boldly to beard tho managerial lions In their dens I was but 14 at the time and had had 1 no experience beyond a few amateur api earanees I succeeded In winning the usual stereotyped promIses prom-Ises but did not get an engagement until un-til I taw Mr Josh Hart of tho old Lagle the ter lIe laughed at what be called my terrible earnestness and promIsed to give me n trial II my Tar rents would personally visit him And signify their acquiescence This mi mother did and I began my stnge calcer an a chorus girl In the company ot ngllsh beauties among whom was tiny Moud Drnns combe who played Cupid The piece presented was blon hlch ooon considerable slderablo favor I well remember my first Appearance At fIrst the house appeared to me to lie a mile long and there seemed to be about 10000 people In It I Imagined that every one of that magnified audl enc mati looking Intently nt me and nt no one else After a nIght or two 1 began to tl Ink that I was ot considered tile Importance and at even EO early a date as that I was inclined to rebel against tho unjust fate which tall a Z signed I l1Ie to the chorus while others whom I foolishly regarded as my Inferiors In-feriors had lines to speak And right here It might not be amiss to remark that that Is I one of the greatest faults of beginners They are so apt to thine that they are not appreciate at their full worth I was simply longing for a cl ance to have a line to say Well the opportunity came within two weeks and 11 almost tool my breath Away Miss Drnuseomb mel with nn accident anl the management desired 010 to play Cupid 1 nerved myself for the ordeal and managed to get through I actually got notices In the newspapers my 1 course Tho gentlemen of tiles r tile-s ooI 7houpricrallernen that I IXIPVquitted I myself very crelltablj nlthouh now I realize that I had given n very unfinished prtormanc Naturally Nat-urally I was elated and from that time considered mel nn actress Then came an engagement with Adah mchmond who made a tour III a piece called Chow Chow Tho success which I fondly Imagined I had I scoied as Cupid In Ixlon had given me a very exaggerate Idea of my value audI aud-I was horrified when I found that my salary was to bo hut IIIS a week Still I accepted though I mentally vowed that I was worth five times as much I had seen that charming French actress ac-tress Aimee ere this and I obtained permission to Introduce her famous song Pretty as a Picture and to give an Imitation of her These met with great favor and I was emboldened to seek an engagement ot whIch the i Allure ml ilcry should be the special feature I was fortunate for I was offered tho part of Cupid In Ipplns an extravaganza which was present id at tho Globe theater Boston I next accepte an offer from John Stetson ot e5if a week to join his Babe In tho Woo company We mad 1 11 tour ot New I nglanl and when wo got back to Boston wo produced my old original friend Ixlon When my con tract with Mr Stetson expired I again Joined Adah Hlchmond anti this time she paid me 35 a week Mj I but I was golfing alone In the world or at any rate that was what I thought Later f r dn 16atb lgg I I1 played ululte and Gabriel la Evan I Celine flint xlrllllganzo from which so many well known actors have grad United unit my fil1 creation oC n chur actor wn al In Rice and Child 1IIa wa lha In which I wn cast for Yena alIzze MIs Alice Harrison 1laI the principal fmalo part und when she wno taken III a short Ifirne later It I van gn 10 me Illy salary luring this petto Iwas t In the condition of the temperature In the Weather predictions statlonaij About this time wlcn I fear I was beginning to urrr from a somehat aggravate attack of a sense of my own Importance a sincere oil frlent of the family of whoso loyalty there cOuld not bo a doubt land I a long talk with my mother and myself with reference erenc to Iny professional career It was jointed out by him that my experience had been confined to one line at work and that If I eontlnued In It much longer it would become impossl his for me to obtain employment In any other Ito also said that the fact that I had come to 1 lie lecognlzed as a fairly good performer wn a llsadvar tage unless un-less I Intended to stick to extravaganza or burlesque all the rest of my days His Advice was that as I was pretty well known In Boston by this time I should accept an offer which 1 ad been made me by the liuston Museum stock company The step seemed to me at the time a distinct cheek to mj caller but there was force In the argument and I Joined the Museum forces But the salary Whewl 1 I That dropped to zero almost lo le exact I was paid VOnweek Quite a come down It was 4 but It there Is one thing more than another an-other that I can look lack to with pleasure and satisfaction It Was my engagement nt the Museum for to that I feel that I owe whatever I may have since become In the theatrka worll My family my friends and myself had decided that I must have opportunity to display any versatility I might lOS mm and I certainly got It there My first aipeaiance was In a small role In Sardou Diplomacy That was not much like Ixlon and ChowChow Chow-Chow but I liked It better than either and my work gave letter satisfaction to my advisers They told me there was hope of my rising In my profession After man weeks In which I played as many different parts Lawrence liar reU com 10 the Museum ITO was to be sup ortcol by our stock company and you may be sure that alt 01 us were nervous as kittens Burlnir Lawrence Barretts engagement engage-ment with us I played Laity Anne In nlchard III Jessica In Merchant of Venice and equally good parts In sev real other pieces of his extensive repertory rep-ertory The result 7 An Increase at salary at 5 n week so that I began the next season nt 2M Matters ptoceeded unevepUully enough for Mme time but I had begun to alive sense find I refused re-fused several offers to appear In ex traynganzn at largely Increased room neratlon In fact a POsons contract WM preeuled to 010 nt 75 a week but I Tied determined to Inns leI every de tall ot acting So car as lay wlthin my power before leaving the IIluscum Brit commencing a still hunt for the dollars JJon 1I0ueicautl that wonder playWright play-wright unit author came to the Museum Mu-seum In time and I had the op > ortunl ty In his support to learn all that was worthy In the Irish drama I did mj level best and was amplY repaid by his commendation Fanny Davenport visited us as a tar and I played I Ttattch wIth her In Pique She also < woo very kind to me and when the next season opened my salary had Jumped up to 35 a nd I was nominally the leading touoretta of the company IloiKlcnult Frank Mayo and many other stars visited the Museum that Bbation and the opportunity given to appear i In a wide l range of characters was fully Appreciated I think I know that I never worked harder In my life and I was rewarded hy I being made the regular juvenile lending lady of the or gnnlzatlon In this capacity It would be useless to attempt to enumerate tile parts I played anti It would serve no purpose In this little etorj My salary Tied still further advanced to ZO a week and I was as happy as 1 could beThen Then com my break with the Museum Mu-seum I felt that when so good an actor ac-tor and stage manner ns Mon Belief I ellult was willing to pay mo V110 a I week the Innnngemnt of If the lIIuscum ought surely not to object to paying tile something like that rum I was tnlstnken howeci und 1 forthwith signed It three years contract with 1I0neicauit for 11 foreign tour I wn to receive 10 a week for the first year t 100 during the second and 20 during the third I left Mr 111 1 < with much iegret and many henrthurnln for I had canto to 70 1 upon tile Intnoul 0111 IIluscum unit Ui < member ot the com litany RR parts of my existence Douel enult woo taken III and leaned me to the Comedy theater London hut are year later lie hall a-re 1 and I Joined him and It wo Ihen > that I succeeded suc-ceeded In making myself generally 7 a li Xai I 3 zelo lo z zly fit 4 Oil la rr it known as nn Impersonator at the refilled re-filled Irish colleen Since that time with the exception of n period of enforced Idleness I In I urope due to the breakdown I of my health I think I may say without egotism that my services have been constantly In demand Tile remuneration too Ties been mol satisfactory unit Ij com larlson with the old Museum days at most colossal I attribute this to the fact that I was Just no valuable In one sort 01 horae ter liS In any oC half n don olher I Count that my musical training uas at value too for I wa liS I think Is gen orally known the prima donna of the leading comic oper i organizations in his country and In Europe The value to un actress 01 every 1lC ompllshment I that she may he enabled 10 acquire cannot be overestimated I had t ns I have stated studied Ucrman nil I once sang the prima donna role In I that language at the Ambere theater In this city It was Incidental one of the best paying engagements I have ever had I had studied Iicnch and was familiar with French literature That was ot value to me when I starred In thc play which was especially written writ-ten for me i tie Pompadour In other words 10 knowledgc or accom Tit I shment Is I reform to an Actions Sooneror later she tvlll find It of ben cOtAtter After my starring tour In Tho Pass lort I joined Charles rrohman forces playing the principal female character In The Coy larlslins last season arid this year I am with Charles II Hoyt A Stranger In New York at his theater In this city I have 1 reached a point In my career where I can enjoy comparative freedom tram the annoyances attendant upon the early struggle for recognition but as I think It all over I realize now more fully than ever before that whatever success I have hall 1 Is due to the fact that I all been tialncd In neatly every form at the drama and that 1 was consequently seldom oblige to decline a part on the giound that It did not suit me How often that has to bo lone every person connected with the stage knos quite well Therefore as n final word ot counsel to the amateur or beginner I wish to repeat lay no attention to the salary at the mart Get the experience at all hazards Playas Play-as many parts and loB many different sort a ot parts as possible and above all never allow yourself to become none n-one part actor or even to be regarded regard-ed as such i jJjAn |
