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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 1904)
A PROPRIETOR OF 12 THEATRICAL 1 COMPANIES. SY HENRY W. SAVAGE, (gHM2)'5 A feisC A-A FAT A szir y tSs&B. zQj et . '..r y A iv' Clara Eckstron A N .JV p j V(As V 'jj ' Wr xLi&4 'Lfci tLJ Lxy w vi ' ' kJfyra Dsvls Sana. Chandler Mote Spencer. SleanorWMlney lvX Alice Fs-TTcll. Collettc. X X ferrf xn X: - XX,:.. f Cs X 'sVvl . ft it. A f? :,;? Jp n w mm Blanche West: 7 f 1 X5'- Jjillian Hazel HEX the quprr. How does a girt yet Into the choru3?" wa. first rrwented to my attention. I van inclined to toes It arlde briefly as calling for no other reply than. " She Ju?t gets there." But. on seeond thotipht. the quston aeeumed considerable Importance and a growing Inter est, for ft is to the "chorus that we must look more and more for cur prima donnas, come diennes, soubrettts. and even the headers of grand opera. If it were made a matter of Insuperable difficulty for girls of temperament, vocal gifts, and charms of person to enter the stage profession through the basement door, so to speak, we should soon find ourselves seeking In vain for actresses and sineers capable of fulfilling the requirements of roles we might desire to fill. Thus. I do not think It Is true that girls who desire to go upon the stage, and who have the requisite qualities, find It hard to secure a hearing. T$ be sure, many are turneti away without engagement, and the majority of these. In the natural order of things. ar self-convinced that their failure Is because they have no influence, or " pulL" It seldom occur to them that they may be unsuited In age, physique, voice, accomplishments, dramatic instinct, or an of the possessions that are vital to persons contemplating tho stage as a calling. A young woman may be too fleshy or the reverse: too tall or too short: with features too prom inent or too smal she may have been assured by flattering friends that she can sing like a Melba, when. In fact, she cannot sing at all; her countenance may be entirely without mobility, or she may grimace beyond reason: she may carry herself cumbrously or with unbending stiffness. In fact, there may be many other obstacles to her welcome re ception at the hands of those whose years of experience have given them sharp eyes for the detection of short comings. 'influence" Is of No Value. But I will say that influence, other than that of the material Itself, has no part In enabling girls to get Into the chorus, so far as 1 have been- able to observe. If she can demonstrate real worth the debutante will receive a consid erate hearing, and will find herself assigned to the first racancy for which she seems suited. There are certain young women, however, who find it hard work to obtain either attention or place.. These are the ones who think It their mission to play parts on the stage without any previous experience of" professional character. Sometimes they 4iave been rewarded with shrill acclaim in private theatricals, and sometimes they have sung in the parental drawing room, with the result of receiving a, great deal of Injudicious applause and unearned adulation. These frequently take It as a matter of course that managers on the eve of risking large amounts of money and their entire capital of prestige upon a production win hasten to Intrust Important r61es to nntrled hands and they re filled with chagrin and resentment when turned away. As a general thing, the girl who is reaily in earnest about her career In the theater Is willing to work for It and to begin In the primary class. The one who expects to start at the top will find It difficult to get the chance, and if she does get It h.e will usually proceed downward Instead of upward. If her brother is a graduate from a medical college or a technological institute he is only too glad of the chance of getting his practical training either In the hospitals or on a railroad. Absolutely the same practical experience is nec essary for the girl who has graduated from a conservatory of music The public does not expect to pay for our experi ments. As far as experience goes, I would rather have a girl, first of all,, of excellent voice and a strong personality, and the faculty of " retting across the foots," than the most perfect type of regular beauty have ever fceen. One day a young woman of excellent family presented a t ".strongly couched letter of introduction describing her as i unmistakable genius and asking that an interview be granted her. She proved to be pretty and exceptionally complacent, nd assured me that " people who ought to know " had told her she was the image of Mrs. Iangtry. and could sing better than Lillian Russell. It didn't require a second glance to dispose of the first named Illusion. a,nd she had not sung three notes when the second dream faded from view. This Instance one of hun dreds goes to indicate that " people who ought to know " don't always do as they ought, or at least don't tell what they know. I have many requests from persons with wealth at their command. I received a letter a fw days ao from a young woman who stated that she had f1.mn. which she would gladly give If she could be permitted to sing a small role. Wlettesley Student Improves Talent. Another instance of a quite different character and out come occurred a comparatively short time ago In Boston. One morning a bright faced young girl applied at the stage door for a place In the chorus, and proved to have a pleasant and well modulated voice and some confidence of manner. It turned out that she had been a student at Wellesley college, and had determined to test her aptitude for the profession of acting. Her Intelligence was evident, her earnestness undis guised, and she was at once engaged. A few months later, after she had shown unmistakable indications of talent In the comedy line. I decided to give her an opportunity, and tele graphed to Minneapolis, where she was then playing, sum moning her to take the role of Lilly Ann Lynch. In George Ade's " Peggy from Paris." This chorus girl was Helen Hale, and she Is now prominently placed In the cast of the newest PIxley-Luders comic opera. " Woodland." How well she has Improved her chances the. public must Judge. Miss Flora Zabelle. prima donna of the company support ing Raymond Hitchcock In " The Yankee CVwisuI." was In the chorus of the Castle Square opera company in Chicago, and 1 am sure she had no difficulty in finding a place in that crganiration or In subsequently securing, the legitimate re ward of merit and aithful application. Talent almost In variably makes Itself apparent and exacts Just compensation. Only the season before last Miss Rose Bottl was In " The Prince of Pllsen " chorus, where she was attentive to her work and accomvllshed it so well that sn seemed worthy of promotion. Miss Botti has been for the last year the soubrette of "The Yankee Consul." where she appears to have " made good." if I may adopt a colloquialism that is both terse and illuminating. . Graduate to Leading Roles. Miss Gertrude Quintan, last seen in the leading comedy role of " The Sultan of Sulu," was & Castle Square chorus girl at the first step of her career on the stage. This year Miss Quintan will play what Mr. Ade describes as "A Promi nent Waitress " In his new comedy without music, " The College Widow." Miss Florence Wlllard of this season's "Peggy from Paris" cast. Is a graduate of ray chorus forces. Miss Pearl Guzman, the season before last was San Francisco In the city girls of the " Prince of Pilsen " company, and the quality of her voice was so excellent that it attracted much attention in the volume of the ensembles. She soon showed such ease of manner and command of carriage as to Justify giving her a trial in more Important lines, and last season she had her chance at the rOle of Mrs. Crocker In the piece already men tioned.. This year Mias Guzman has the far more trying rflle. vocally considered, of the principal flower maiden In he English representation of " Parsifal." Then there is the instance of Miss Camille CliffordTwho Is still In the chorus. In a technical sense, for she has no lines to speak. She is the Miss New York in the London cast of " The Prince of Pilsen." and was chosen for this place as the result of a competitive trial held at Daly's theater a few days before the company sailed for England. The fact that Miss Clifford s assumption of this bit of character work without words was superior to the interpretations of the other aspirants goes to show that It isn't always the part that makes the player. At least, the player often helps the part hugely, and even with so little to do as falls to the chorus girls, one of their number may accomplish her task so much better than the others as to concentrate attentlou upon herself. Celeste Wynne, a member of the " Parsifal " company, and who was prima donna of "San Toy" and "The Run aways." was In the chorus, and Adelaide Norwood, for three years prima donna of the English grand opera company, commenced In the Castle Square chorus In Boston. She is now studying German roles In Berlin. Must Prepare for Opportunity. In many instances the opportunity for a chorus girl to sing a principal role occurs on extremely short notice. Many people will remember how Eula Jensen, a chorus girl In the " Peggy from Paris " company, playing at the Studebakn theater last year, was called upon one night to sing the leading role. Miss Jensen had never sung the part In public, and she had but five minutes' notice before she was called to go upon the stage. She sang the difficult role without a single mistake. A short time ago Lucille Toiler of the ' Woodland " company, was called upon to sing the part ot Prince Eagle, as Cherldah Simpson suddenly became 111. Miss Totier Just had time to put on her costume before her cue was called. She continued to fill Miss Simpson's place for a number of performances. I might cJte dozens of Instances of this kind where chorus girls have filled Important roles on short notice, but have probably named examples In suffi cient number to show at least what a girl may do when she Is once In the chorus. As to the getting in, that realty Is not so difficult a matter as It Is often pictured that is to say, not so difficult for young women of the kind pictured In the foregoing paragraphs. Doors Open to Try All Voices. Regular hours are set aside for hearing the voices of applicants "for chorus positions. Those who pass the ordeal (and it Is no more severe than the occasion actually re quires) are fully described In Indexed memoranda, which It duly filed, so that they may be sent for when casts are being organized or vacancies occur In compa.nles already In working order. This system greatly facilitates the putting together of choruses of a uniformity -designed to be characteristic Foi ( Instance. In making up the cast of Mr. Ade's " The Sho Gun it was desirable to keep within the Corean atmosphere as far as possible. The women of Corea are of diminutive mold, and hence It was considered necessary to select the chorus from among the little women on our books. The descriptive memoranda at hand enabled the carrying out of this plan easily and swiftly. It Is the rule to hear all voices that are presented, and to place upon the list for engagement all girls who sing well, look well, and. most of all, possess the Indescribable but essential element of adaptability. No girl with these attributes need fear to attempt the task of getting Into the chorus and she need not bring Introductions or indorsements. The doors are always pen to her. N Ethel Cook- mm ScLUie Carle Ion is,A - s i - I 73 be I J-LC ' I Jl I wu"' v "" uw iooia. man me most uonea., twi yar Miaa Uuxman ha the far more trying The doors are always $pen to ber. 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