UNDER THE VERANDAH [WRITTEN FOR THE WEEKLY NEWS" ]

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXXII, Issue 5726, 29 January 1876, Page 1 (Supplement)

UNDER THE VERANDAH [WRITTEN FOR THE WEEKLY NEWS" ]

Pisoi, vr.i\ not «i spectatoi .it the tlieatie, whothei of the masculine or feminine pel - suasion, but believes that lio or she can pel foi m |iist as well .is any of the aitistes on the bo.uds. Allth.it is wanting is a httlt turning and the icquisite amount ot neive Undoubtedly theie is a natui.al aptitude m most people foi acting. You see it in ihildiui when they "make bchoe." linked, [ know not a few whose whole life is made up of .11 tiny. Hence, possibly, we h.ne the pioveib, " No man is a heio to his v.ikt ' \\ h.\ not' Snnpl> because his \alet sees him when lie is behind the scenes, when he has put aside his " make-up " and washed ofl his paint, when weaned with theefloitsof the day, aud almost bioken down under the gi eat sti am on his system cau-ed by his acting, he for a while is himself. Look at a pel foi manee when the play lias been " running" for some time— when eveiy actor, fiom the heio and hcioine to the meanest vailet, is thoroughly at home, and letter-peifeet, — when e.uli sentence, each look, each action, appeals completely spon tancous— anjone would suppose that the di.unatic ptofession was pciteetly unlike any othei , and needt d no haul w 01 k. Yet w hat is the fact'' Few professions make ->> continuous and sii'h hcvuy demands, mental and pli\sical, on their follow el- Of com s , there ai c actors and actoi s Some ai e giited b\ nature more than othei s ; some have adopted the profession fiom a passionate love foi it ; others simply as .1 means foi winning their biead. But what an the (Nullifications necessaiy to fit a man 01 w oman for the stage ' Imjinnu^ Athoiough knowledge of the veinacul.u ; and thi^ not onl> 1111tsg1a1umatiL.il conituu tion, but in its conect pionuneiation. The know ledge of coireet pionuiienation must not beicstneted to the best usage meiely, but must extend to the vanous dialects of the seveial counties of England— nay of Scotland and Ti eland. E\en the Ameiicau States and the Austial isian colonies ha\e peculuuities with which the actor must ha\c a fan ac([uaintanee In fact he is called upon to speak English me\eiy possible vanation from the learned utteianees of a Dr. Pangloss to the untutoicd jaigon of an Uncle Pete A thoiough know ledge of the English language ha\ mg been acquired, then the would-be Koscius must study elocution, that is to sa\, graceful and appropnate action, correct emphasis and musical intonation ; he must sticngthen his voice so as to enable his whisper to be heard throughout a Luge building, and must also modulate it natuiTilh and with conectiuss After elocution comes facial expression, upon which depends so much. The eye especially must be made to speak volumes, but e\eiy muscle must be uady for use when called upon. Then taste in dress has to be cultnated, and an acquaintance gained with the costumes of all nations and of all times In plays by modem wntcis much of this is done bj the authoi m giMng his stage dnections, still much is left to "indnidual taste and discietion, and a leal aitist will impro\e upon the authoi 's dnections. A most impoitant lcquisite for a successful actoi is a know ledge of a capacity foi " make up." This amounts to a special gift in many pel sons who have the perceptne and imitative faculties highly developed. These enable them to notice peculiarities, whether confined to nidiwduals or extending o\ ei a w hole class, and also to lepioduce these peeuhaiities 111 not too ohtiusne a mannei The actoi must ha\c a good hguie and (.image, audit ot the gentler sex, should possess a pusentable face and pleasing smile. In addition to all these qualifications thcie is one without which tluy would be of \eiy little \alue, and that is a letenti\c inemoiv. and 111 the colonies at hast a " quick study " Thisgnes a thoiough ac quamtanee with the text ot the authoi and of the " business'" of each scene Nor let it l)e supposed that I have now r exhausted the list of requirements for an actor. Having all these he may yet fail tlnough ha\mg no know ledge ot music, msti ument il or vocal, dancing, fencing, and boxing. The last accomplishment I shall now mention is one winch, after the othei s may seem tiiiling, yet for ladies it may involve more difficulty than any of the othei s. This is smoking. I notice that in the wake scene of the "Shaughiaim" the ladies, as well as the gentlemen, h.i\ e to keep volumes of smoke pulling fiom then " dudeens. ' Bntehus and b.ikeis must sutler if the pliant state of tilings lasts much longei. People will glow fat simply from the amount of 1 uiiditei they indulge m. We ha\e had the ciieus, with clowns, certainly not paiti1111.11 ly witty, but with tumbleis most ninth pio\oking, and we have had the "funniest of funny folks" with Mi 1- I) Runs, and we still ha\ c the sidesplitting Mi Vv lu itlcigh, 111 Ins " Shaughraun " and othei loles. All this fun costs money, and that tins mom v is pinched, as Mr O'Kelly "-,i\s Conn's schooling was, "out of the stomach and ofl' of the back," I am credibly ..ssuicd One ease I have hcaid of, wheie a family came in from Onehunga to\isit Wilson's Cneus, and after ha\ing paid the admission fee, and the cost of con- \ evince to and from the city, positively had not a threepenny piece to buy a loaf with for the morning's bic.ikfast. Another ease has come to my knowledge where a family pawned their blankets in older to laise money for the "Big show." Today Le Chevalier Blondin adds further piovocation for expenditure, and judging from the enormous si/e of his enclosure, he intends to include within his net all the fish that have escaped previous efloits to catch them. Wheie the money foi him is to come fiom it is diihcult to say. The pawn shops will do a wonderful business timing the next few da\s, and butcheis, bakers, groceis </ hoi i/i'iiu^ oiitiu must wait tor their money. The fact ot the op< ning of a Penny Savings Hank has been duly notified to the public thiongh the columns of the Cross, and 111 these haul times the fact seems suggestive enough I undeis and, however, that the Penny Savings Bank is another case of lu< u>'a nun Uiundo. Not a single penny has been deposited 111 its coffeis The lowest amount paid in has been the medallion like II01111, whilst as much as 125s his been deposited at one time. The idea was, 1 behexe, that ehildien would make use of this bank as a money box for then stray half-pence, and would thus be enabled to make a piactical use of what otheiwise would be fntteied away in takes, lollies, or the li.ultst of fiail toys. But no It is found that the depositois aie almost without exception females, who 111the name 01 names of Betsy Jane, Anna Mana, or Budget, what they can squet/e out of the week's money. It is sus pitted by those who know the class of people who aie doing this, th.it the childien's names aie meiely a pretence, and that in le.ihtythe good wives have adopted this plan 111 01 dei to make a little purse for tin nisei \ is foi any occasion which may liqune vt When once some of the stieet aiabs begin to make penny deposits it will be found that the example will be hugely followed In some place, whith I cannot at this moment leeollcet, a philanthiopie gentleman announced his intention of adding — I think --a shilling to the deposit of each of the lust '20 l.niikins who opt noil .111 ac eoiuit The effect was \eiy good. I wondei whether tlu re can be found 111 our midst a man who can spate a wneicign for such a purpose. " (lod be thanked, I can pay formy bo.ud now '" SujIi ■was sworn to bo the exclamation of a man the othei day who had just realised 30s by the sale of boine tiinkets which he had stolen. A strange conscience must be that of the man who could const lentiously utter these words on such an occasion. And yet, perhaps, not so much out of the way. We. heai of To Deun.s being sung with great religious pomp foi successes m Inch aie not moic honest than this poor fellow's, though pcihaps on a laigei scale. But ap.iit fi 0111 this theie is the lmxtiue ot honesty and logueiy which appears siuh an lneougiuity. The man steals m older to pay his debts with the piocceds of lnsthdt' "Kobbmg Peter to pay Paul." Cameo.