| Show WHAT BECOMES O OF ALL THE TilE ACTORS AS CAREERS END What That becomes of all the actors tors and actresses It may not not- be foe such an obvious mystery mys tery tay as what hat becomes of all the pin PUIs but it is la quite te as deep and far hr more interesting in in- when one gets fairly launched on the investigation The majority o othe othe of the players who dot the stages o of oE the country through a season eason disappear when spring rolls roUs around and aud are never heard of again I was led lied to this knowledge know somewhat some sone- what accidentally Like many others it never occurred to me that there was any remarkable change e in the person personnel nel net of the stage every every- season seaon I knew the stars and nd lots were with us until old ola age claimed its own and ana I assumed unconsciously that the rank and file stuck to the stage staRe as well until they became so IO decrepit it was wall no longer possible pos pos- sible to act but several weeks ago as asa asa asa a result of an ar argument ment I started to o search through the files of programs in in inthe tho the public library of a town near New NewYork NewYork York for the name of a a. player with a certain company Not finding it among those which had played the town the season before I secured the file for forthe forthe forthe the year previous and wasn't ten minutes min min mm utes jn in noting that most of the names on the programs were new that new that is is t they 1 y were not those of tho the players lor fot the season I had just just- investigated ted My attention a was called to the change hange in players by the cast east of the thene theone theone one ne' ne particular play I looked over carefully care care- fully There were fourteen en people inthe in inthe the th company the play wa under the same management both seasons yet there was only on one actor in the company company com corn pany the second season who had been with it the first Possibly the management manage ment merit might have desired a change of personnel or it mi might ht be the other thir thi- teen had become identified with other organizations Either theory was a reasonable reasonable rea rea- answer as to what had become of the thirteen players In the first case only an interview with the manager w would uld have settled settIe it itin in the second the file of programs for the following season season sea sea- son would be DC reasonably sure to reveal the names of some of the players I determined to see if I could trace trae any of them It was a week stand d city I was in in at the th time and there were four theaters theaters the the- aters aters- apart from those devoted to vaudeville or r burlesque shows According Accord ing lug to the files companies had I played these houses the first season I and anti the second Including only I those who had had- played speaking parts there fere 1946 players in the first seasons seasons season's sea seaS sons son's companies and 2018 in those of the second ld vet ret of the first 1946 there were only T whose names appeared on the time plo programs ams of ot o the following year This Ibis was singular I thought Truth True Tru th they y might have gone to other parts o othe of the country but theory would sc scarcely account for 1759 players who h had bd d dropped from view More than a thousand d act actors rs and actresses actress wouldn't cling to other parts of the country two years in succession but my search of the programs for this year gave me ma another surprise nine Eighty-nine compa compa- companies towns town's four theaters the the- nies nis had been at th the aters aers up u-p to the first week of February February ar ary and 1211 people had bad played parts in the the- shows given Of this 1211 the names of th the players were all different with the exception of Among this there re who had played during bot both of the previous seasons three forty-three had played the year ear before be before fore and t tw two only whose names had appeared appeared ap appeared ap- ap the first but not the second season sea sea- son What had become of them all Here people who had played on the stage with various various companies during a period of three seasons Only had appeared during the three years years' three forty-three had played two seasons seasons sea sea seasons sons in succession and two had bad played one season then disappeared for a year and reappeared the third while budding stars had bad flickered for a se season son and then vanished from view and I suppose of the 1211 for this year fully 1000 will not be heard of next season There was hardly any other theory that would account for tor those who wio have disappeared disappeared disappeared dis dis- dis- dis appeared but that they have bave left the stage or else cannot secure ure engage meats ments I In New York where there is naturally natural natural- ly IF more stability to tc the stage than elsewhere elsewhere else else- where because practically all of the players have been tried for years before before be be- fore they secure the th co coveted chance to appear here a J. J of uns for several seasons sea ons shows shoW's that 40 per percent percent cent rent of the players arc an IT with us only for fora a season I was in Richmond Va and Columbus 0 O. durin during lh latter part of February e roary and carrying out my mr invest invest- t Clion gilion in there to to found they were substantially the same in lit so sa far as percentage percentage per per- of difference was concerned as those in the first town I 1 had examined the theater programs Making due allowance allowance allowance al al- al- al lowance for the drift to stock companies companies compa compa- nies for tours limited to t certain sections sections sec see far illness lUness and nd death at t least 75 per cent of the actors who are with w us usno one no season disappear r at its end to be bo seen or n ard o 0 rno more What becomes of them all alit One theorist the orist aveis that most of the girls get g-et married after they've been disillusion disillusion- ize izei 1 and the men go o to work as soon as they have recovered their sanity But the briefness of st stage ge life Ilie is a startling fact One season season and and most of the players play ers are finished |
