AN INTERESTING CAREER

Otago Witness, Issue 2840, 19 August 1908, Page 67

AN INTERESTING CAREER

a nxTAm trimrr utt-c -.t.^^-t-, A CHAT WITH MISS MADGE M'INTOSH.

ATic*. \f*A~ n ii^,^. c „ . cinSf ir ?% -R~2?\St f£ n the prm Z SSSnf +o?rtn iS 7 "^ i 5 C?C ?£ PP * Q ?' &t £^? K toulmg e T Z ? ala^ w!th a large repertoire, was mterrietred by a Times reporter on Monday afternoon.

Tvr-0,. -vt't.,4. v j j. i. x. • Mas Mlntosh Pfoved to be a charming lady, bright and vivacious in manner, and t l l n T T i^ tmS conY€r f tlo , na ! lst - She stated what her name made obvious— that 1 T°X b ? otch >y birth-and smilingly heard the. interviewer « assurance that he would never have guessed it : that she negotiated her rsin a, way that would have done credit to the most blue-blooded Englishwoman. Then she went on to explain it. She said she w«s quite a cosmopolrtan. She had been born in India, and had lived some years there, but had resided in London after the death of her father. She had been much on the Continent, a little while in Scotland, and . a year or two in America, and • was now enjoying Tier first tour of the Antipodes. Like sll great artists. Miss M'lntosh found that she did not obtain a foremost place' in hex profession without many years of hard work — struggling ,against the fact thaf she was unknown, fighting all the time

to gain the artist's stcck-in-trade — a- name, — and aware through, it all of the disheartening certainty that there were hundreds of others as eager and ambitious as efie was to gain that place for which she was striving ; aware, too. that did she not achieve success, she must he content with an insignificant plaoe in a fearfully overcrowded profession, a profession in which mediocrity is perhaps 1 worse than nothing at all. As she sat there in her cosy room, dressed daintily in street-going costume, discourses brightly cm her early struggles in London, one instinctively felt that here was a woman who indeed knew life. She epoke familiarly and unconcernedly of great artists — Bernard Shaw, Pinero, Professor Herkomer — and blithly told of how and where she had worked since, success had smiled upon her. She spoke rapidly, and in quick, wellchosen words sketched her interesting career. "I went; on the stage when I was 16 years old," she said, "on thf death of my father. Professor Hubert yon Herkomer, who has always been my good friend, took a great interest in me, and gave me an opportunity of study in his private theatre in Bu-shey. He had built and utilised this theatre in order that he might demonstrate certain theories he held regarding stage management and lighting. Here he produced a number of small plays, and exeelknt performances were often given. I knew no one in the profession, but I much wished to go on - the stage. So the /V professor itook me down to his theatre and gave me an opportunity of understudying in one of the plays. I was pleased with this opportunity, worked very hard, and presently my chance came, and I was given a part in one of the performances. My relatives, particularly the Scottish part of them, were very much against my going on the stage, and put forward etrong opposition. But Professor Herkomer took the trouble of writing a very long letter to my mother on the matter— l still have that letter,— and he succeeded in having a great deal of that opposition done away with, and I continued my studies. He -still took a great interest in me, and it was well that he did so, for owing to the very much orerorowded state of the profession I had great difficulty in securing -an engagement. Eventually I managed to obtain an engagement with Mr Ben Greet, who was touring the English provinces with an Old English and Shakespearian company. Here, for a start, I under-studied, my biggest part being five lines. My engagement with Mr Greet lasted about " six months, and then, according to arrangement, I left him and resumed work under the professor. Following that, I was given a part in a farcical comedy called 'The Other Fellow,' which was produced at the Court Theatre. Five years after leaving him I rejoined Mr Greet. Two of those five years I .spent in Mr Edward Terry's company, and it was while there that I first met Mr Harcourt Beatty, who is a very fine actor indeed. I also had an engagement with Ostend Wilford, playing Nellie Denver in "The Silver King." It was while acting this part that I first beg&n to find myself very successful, my popularity, I believe, being due primarily ro a number of very flattering notices written -about me by the late Clement Scott. Aftor that I grew very ambitious, and took a company of my own over to Brussels, where we played a number of pieces. After that I went back to Mr Greet. «.nd was with him three or four yeara. We played Shakespeare and old English pieces principally. Then I joined Mr and Mrs KendalL the latter proving a valuable teacher. Following that, I went to America, and when I returned I produced the first of the plays written by Granville Barker that have been seen on the stage, called ' The Weather Hen." This caused a great stir in London artistic circles, and made Barker's reputation. He is a, coming- man at Home. About now I begin to reap some reward for my earlier labours. I met such famous men as Bernard Shaw and Pinero, and was associated with George Alexander and George Robertson. With the tatter I played Que«n to hrs " Hamlet " — and his " Hamlet " was undoubtedly the finest of the century. Aftei; that, I was leading lady with young Irving, and subsequently I took part in ' Prince Josephine ' with Howorth. That was my last engagemeat in London, before leaving for Australia." t understand you were very successful in "Camille" and "Fedora" when in AusI was, however, delighted when I got the chanoe of appearing in those pieces, for it -vras an opportunity I had often -washed for. The Australians seemed to think my ' Camille ' and ' Fedora ' were exceptional Ido not know why," she added rffi'd £*Z SJCSHSJ T^ them as n©ar perfect *s possible. I had never seen either played before, so tih«fc my conception of each was quite original, Both, are exceedinjjly interesting character

" studies—alike in many respects, and yet in others providing a strange contrast. 1' • And what is the opinion you have formed of Australian audiences? "I think Auetralian people make up their minds mere quickly concerning one

than do English people," replied Miss Mintosh, promptly. "Figuratively speak£ngj En€lidl p^le have to grow up with one before they will consider one's per-

iformance Quite satisfactory. Australians, jon other hand, make up their minds j immediately, and come prepared to give ' one a very warm or a cold reception. One

needs a e;rea.t deal of assurance when meetin& • house like that. Li Chrietchurch thly 6 t*rted very coldly but once the season W J fair i v commenced, the audiences became enthusiastii I don't think I

was ever accorded such an enthusiastic hea , ri as I had in Christchurch at the 6nd o f mv season when j pJaved « Oa m iH e ' and 'Fedora.' Of course; I 'had been four mont hs in Melbourne before I played in either pieoe> and x onl been a few days i n Christchurch. Yes, I like New Zealand people very much " What do you think of the future of dramatic art in Australia? "There are great possibilities in all the axts— possiblities that have not < yet been touched. There must, for instance, be pn-eat dramatic talent here in the colonies — th© trouble is that tihere are so few opportunities of securing a suitable traininp. I feel perfectly sUTe ' tbat there are authors and -actors and actresses he-re. just as there axe in other places. Unfortunately. out here there are not the same chances, the came schools, as there are at Home When 1 joined Benson's Company I filled 14 parts in 10 days. There ware two matinees a week, and a diJereot

play every ni^ht- and afternoon. t'6 a snlendid training to those who can stand it, for one has so much to do. in such circumstances, and is so anxious about one's lines, that one has no chance of being troubled wirli self consciousness. The stasre novice never knows how to disuose of hi« hands aawrl feet, and feels terribly awkward in the #lare of the footlights. To such I can recommend such a fcraimne as I pot with Barton's although the first fortnight nearly killed nw». It was a rougib school, fo-uf a srood one." You have travelled much. Miss M'lntosh : have you not known many strange or remarkable incidents? " None that are true," renlied the lady, whimsically. "Mv wanderings havo been sin#ularlv free from adventure. I have met re'rv many interesting dramatic, literary, and artistic people, and this, perhaps, has served +o compensate me for my lack of adventure."