OSCAR ASCHE ON ACTING.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17862, 7 September 1923, Page 14

OSCAR ASCHE ON ACTING.

FIRST PRINCIPLES. Interviewed at "Wellington by tlio "Post," Mr Oscar Asche, of "Cairo" fame, had something to say on "How to Act":—"First of all,, let me say this. On the stage, as on the piano of everyday life and affairs, the greatest thing is sincerity. Which is to Bay that, if you want to succeed, to touch the hearts of your public, you must act every part entrusted to you as you yourself see and feel the part; You must not s>-J bound by any tricks and gestures cf mechanical convention. .You must do your utmost to -live for a time . the character you are supposed to be.'You may do well, or. not so-well; you .will, Sit any rate, be standing on your own legs. - "Mind you, there are certain things that are unassailably correct and necessarj'. You must, for example, your intelligence, and ' do : everything possible to perfect your sense of the theatre. To that end, you will do everything you, can to -perfct.t your education. If one is set to play a, servant, one must at least know how to behavo and speak like a man of distinction in .that sense. If one hr.i to play a gentlewoman, one must not act like: a hoyden or- a housemaid. Fc-r that reason, rce "must "Ivarn tc speak beautifully, delicately. If one Joes' not >trive. always'"'to speak in that v.viy off tho rt.ige how- will one find i nest If in a fon.-tjjn atmosphere when on it? '' There is another thing I want to say that I find it not easy to express. The' aspirant for the stage must go about with his- eyes ' open, stming to learn how different sorts of people behave under various strcs.-vs' of citotion. . For the tame purpose, bro.it! ly, lio. n:ust moke,a constant study of good literature, so far as his leisure a;io\vs that. To the intelligent player, a good knowledge of /Shakespeare is a first necessity. In theso wonderful plays we have a pageant of all life, and v.e are brought into close association with, some'of the moat splendid,'some of tho some tormented, and spine of the saddest and most' tempted men and women that the mind of dramatist liah ever conceived. Nor have we. yet lono'justice to the extraordinary beauty of Shakespeare's prose. "Turning from that to the blank verse, lam 'a little embarrassed. I never vet' came upon a teacher of elocution who taught his pupils to speak . that i verse as it should be spoken. You see, it must be spoken in such a way that, while preserving ' its magnetic reality as conversation or dialogue, the beauty of the verse as rioetry is preserved. I'm setting a hard task, you may think, but if the student, is not prepared to put all his (or her) heart and mind into the work, it is useless quito to think of the stage as a career. "Again, those who take up the stage must learn - to wear clothes so naturally, with such absence of self-consciousness,-that they will be at home in the costume of whatever character they attempt. "People talk of me sometimes as if I just happened, and somehow fluked my success. There could be no more erroneous idea. I had years of grueliiug work. In Norway I was with a repertory company that had a.repertory of a hundred fine plays, any one of which could be produced- at a day's notice. In that company there was 110 favouritism, and a name meant nothing. Every member was supposed to do his best habitually, and 'every member was judged and ranked by the quality of his work alone. "Finally I would say to those who tlunk of the stage as a profession: ever miss u chance of seeing, any good play. If it ig well acted, you will learn how to act. If it is badiy acted, you will see at what points the acting is bad, and so will learn what in vour own case to avoid. I was going to sav, be natural. But tht is only another way of saying, be sincere. Better put it that you will do well to be always honest with yourself and with your audience. l'ou must concentrate entirely on the business in hand. How can you expect to convince, as a queen or warrior, if you are thinking of a coming dunce or wondering what you I ' B .7i° y \IF tailor? These are some of the things I would say to those who ask me 'How to Act?' "