STAGE STRUCK!

Otago Witness, Issue 2104, 21 June 1894, Page 42

STAGE STRUCK !

Men and Women who aue Dazzled by

the Footlights.

" I can assure you that no outsider would ever credit the number of people who are stage struck."

The speaker was one of the best known variety and dramatic agents in London, who, after a little judicious coaxing, had consented to unbosom himself on tho subject of his work.

" You see that pile of letters ? " he continued, pointing to a mass of correspondence which a clerk had just placed upon his desk " They aro all applications from men and women, mostly tha latter, who are desirous of going on the stage, and they, every one of them, arrived by this morning's post. And, bear in mind, we do not invite this class of correspondence. If we did, there

would be nothing very remarkable in it. Oarsißa strictly lfgitimate agency business. We do not advertise, nor do we undertake to ' train ' amateurs for the stage. In other words, our business is to obtain engagements for ' professionals,' not to manufacture them wholesale out of the raw material.

" Of courae we are always on the look-out for talent, and occasionally one of those applicants may prove a diamond in the rough— but not often. Women applicants outnumber the men in the proportion, roughly speaking, of three to one, and they are, as a rule, far more conceited and consequently proportionately difficult to deal with. They will not be • put off,' but return again and again, with a pertinacity worthy of a better cause.

"We can, of course, tell directly whether a girl has a ghost of a chance of success, and when she has none we tell her so as politely as possible. Often she thinks we are mistaken or prejudiced, and goes straight to some of the advertising sharks, who take her money, give her a couple of soDgi (of a sort), teach h?r a step or two, aud then turn her out as a f ull-fladged ' professional,' to sink or swim — geaerally theformer. "The bulk of the women applicants belong to the domestio-servant clasi. A girl has a pretty fac?, a goo 1 figure, anda passablevoica. She goes to a music hall in company with her ' young man,' hears Marie Lloyd or some other leading seriocomic, and immediately jump 3 to the conclusion that she cm do equally as well. So she saves up her wages and has a try. Of course, in 999 cases out of 1000, she is speedily disillusioned, and returns to her du^tiag and dish-washing, a sadder and a wi3er, but a poorer, woman.

"The most successful among the lady aspirants for histrionic honours are those who have previously served an apprenticeship in the bailer. They know how to dance and pose with grac3, and do not, as a rale, suffer from stage fright. Of course Ido not mean to say that every ballet girl, even if she has a voice, is bound to succeed in the higher walks oi the ' profession,' but she certainly stands a far better chance than her untrained sisters.

"By the wa^, speaking of stage fright, it is astonishing in how many different ways it manifests itself. Strange to say, women are more subject to it than men, and it is by no means, as so many people suppose, confined to beginners. Some artistes suffer from it all their lives. .1 could, if I wished, give you the name of one of our leading lady singers — one whosa average weekly salary for years past has exceeded 60gs — who is a veritable martyr in this respect. Whenever she is going to bring out a new song she is in a perfectly pitiable state of nervous prostration for days beforehand.

" Many beginners are excessively nervous before they g® on the Btage, and lose all trace of it as soon as they face their audience. Others, on the contrary, are full of confidence until they step out in the fall glare of the footlights, and then they forget every word of their song, or break down hopelessly before they get half way through the first verse.

" It is no uncommon thing for a novice to be so overcome with fright when her • turn ' is announced as to refuse to go on the stage at all. In such a case it is worse than useless to resort to force, or even to try persuasion. The best way is to say « very well,' and tell the stage manager to announce the ' next turn.' Then, when they see the chance they have waited for so long, and locked forward to so eagerly, slipping away from them, they generally contrive to screw np their courage to the sticking point, and often surprise themselves by their success. " A less common form of stage fright is where the beginner, having got on the stage, is afraid to come off again. I once knew a case of a man who sang a song through three times, and started it again, as incapable of quitting the stage voluntarily as if he had been rooted to the spot.

"As a rule a failure at the opening, or • show turn,' as ifc is called among • professionals,' means a failure for good. No manager, and scarcely any agent, will have anything to do with an artiste who has failed once. On the other hand, even a partial success at a good London hall is often the precursor of a fairly good provincial engagement.

"The worst of it is, the majority of beginners are not content to work the provinces for a time at a mo3erate salary. They want to jump to the top, instead of climbing. There, of course, they make a big mistake. Thore is no royal road to success on the stage, any more than there is in any other walk of life. I always tell my beginners to be content with a ' living wage ' to start wltb, and to keep out of London for at least a couple of years.

"To sum up, I considsr that the art of pleasing the public on the stage is, after all, a natural and far from common gift. Granted even that a man or woman is possessed cf this gift, unless they throw thdr whole he-irt and soul into their work they will never attain to any position worth having. There is a lot of glamour attached to life behind the footlights, and would-be stars are very apt to overlook the attendant hard- work. I have no hesitation in saying that at least 75 per cent, of beginners sink out of sight during the first 12 months of their probation, while certainly not more than 5 of the remaining 25 ever reach anywhero near the top of the ladder. There are splendid prizes to be gained, no doubt., but they are for the few. The many, as in other callings, have to be content with the wages of mediocrity, and they are but small all the world over.

"Then again everything is against the novice. To begin with, good songs are scarce, and what there are go to the wellknown Bingers, who can afford to pay pood prices for them ; and, when the soDg is secured, what chance has an unknown artiste to bring it before the public? The good "turns are monopolised by the 'stars,' and ths beginner is forced to sin?, with a heavy heart, to an empty house at the fag end of the evening.

" Still, real talent does tell in the long run, and, provided its possessor be also endowed with pluck and perseverance, is pretty certain to make its mark. Only, let no one imagine that the life of a variety artiste is an easy one. Even after success is achieved it is no easy matter to keep one's popularity from waning. The public is a hard master, very forgetful and infinitely capricious, as many a once popular, but now well-nigh forgotten, star can testify."