A WORD TO THE STAGE STRUCK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14157, 4 September 1909, Page 5 (Supplement)

A WORD TO THE STAGE STRUCK.

BY ADA REEVK. Miss.Ada Reeve commenced to compete for stage honours at a very early age, and she was but six years old when .she made her debut at Dewsbury. When only 14 years of age she had already won a place in tne front rank of music hall " stars," and soon afterwards created the part of the " Shop Girl" at the Old Gaiety Theatre, in the Strand, and later played the leading parts ill many well-known musical comedies, including " Florodora," "San Toy," "The Three Little Maids," "Kitty Grey," etc. During the past few years she has been producing and touring on her own account, and in 1906 accepted an engagement to visit South Africa for nine weeks at the record fee of £9000. There cannot, I am sure, bo many other subjects in tho world about which such very false opinions are formed as that of the stage as a profession. You, my readers, probably form your own notions on this subject from the touring companies which visit, your town during the course of the year. * You sec tho pretty girls and smiling men behind the footlights of your local theatre, and you think, "What a jolly existence, travelling round seeing the country like this, and actually getting paid for it. into the bargain!" You naturally don't get much chance of peeping behind the scenes of an actress' lite, and so you picture her as a. happy little butterfly, Hitting from town to town, with nothing more serious to trouble her than the wearing of some pretty gowns in the pieces in which she happens to take a part while* on tour. But I am sorry to say that the facts, of the ease are quite different, so before you even think of quilting your quiet home and perhaps rather monotonous work, just cast your eye over those few remarks of mine, and after that I think you will decide to put up with the little inconveniences of your present existence rather than trust yourself to the everlasting uncertainties of stage life. For you must know that the actress' life is the most uncertain of all careers, and full of disappointments which, only the most determined can bear up against. That is one of the reasons why it is so silly for a girl to go on the stage unless sh3 is really fond of acting and fully prepared for all sorts of set-backs. Lots of girls, I am afraid, turn to the stage out ! of mere vanity, and that is a quality which will never see them safely through all the trials and troubles of the profession. Not 1 only must the young actress be possessed of real ambition, but she should also enjoy first-rate health and a sound constitution ; otherwise she will be dead and buried long before she ever gets a chance of success. The plays which you see upon the stage are, you must remember, the result of weeks of rehearsing, and this rehearsing it is which makes a severe demand upon the constitutions of delicate girls. Tho stage of any theatre is apt to be draughty place during rehearsals, and this, combined with the hours of standing about from which it is impossible to escape, will soon knock anyone up who is not fairly strong. Then,, again, life in a touring company is by no means the treat which you imagine. The constant travelling from place to place is apt to become very trying, lodgings are not always as comfortable as they might be, and there is, in addition, the constant strain of playing and rehearsing the different pieces which happen to make up the company's repertoire. Perhaps the would-be actress pictures herself performing only in London theatres, but she will be very lucky indeed if she manages to do so, as competition in the Metropolis could scarcely be keener than it is at present, and there always seems to be a great many more candidates for engagements than there are engagements for candidates. And then, suppose you do get into some new play, there is a long period of rehearsals to be gone through, and in the end the play may be a failure, and you are in a worse position than ever. This is the sort of experience that takes the " gilt off the gingerbread" and tests a girl's patience and courage to the uttermost. No, to be certain of remaining in London is quite out of tho question for the young actress, as a rule, and the chances are that she will begin her theatrical career by touring the provinces, perhaps for several years. For those who are. really keen on their profession, I may say that touring provides a very good form of training, and a training through which most of our leading actors and actresses have passed in the early days of their lives on the stage. On the other hand, those who have chosen a ; stage career from no serious motive will be ' quickly disillusioned after a little touring experience, and will turn their attention to ! some other kind of work, so that for both classes of actresses touring forms an excel- | lent test. j Of course, the presence of the girl without serious ambition accounts to a great extent for the apparent overcrowding of the profession, and it is, I suppose, by ignoring this young woman's presence that writers sometimes arrive at the conclusion that the stage is not really overcrowded. This is one way of putting it, certainly, and if ono was to eliminate all those who can never hope to make a name at acting, one would doubtless be able to prove that the stage is not overcrowded. To make this statement is, however, in my opinion, misleading, since if ever a profession was overcrowded in this world, that profession is the stage. There must be a tremendous number of actors and actresses out of work all the year round, and this fact should never be lost sight of by anyone who thinks of joining the profession. To take this step without realising the true facte of the case is madness, and yet I am afraid that, a good many young men and girls do so in a light-hearted manner, and never find out until afterwards how precarious is the existence of the actor and actress. That there is still room for talent on the stage I am ready to admit, and a girl with real ability may make her way to the top. of the tree to-day just as much as she might have done so at other periods, but this is not, and never has been, an easy achievement, although many people appear to think otherwise. To begin with, there is a great deal to learn, even for the most gifted, and in the second place all progress is a matter of real hard work. This 'is where the uninitiated are most apt to go astray in their ideas, thinking as they do that acting and hard work have nothing to do with each other, the exact opposite being, in fact, the case. : My principal advice to girls about to take , up acting would be : Never forget that it means hard work, and that only real ambition, backed by patience and determina- ; tion, will bring you within sight of suc- j cess. !