A PLAYER'S IDEAS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 638, 15 October 1909, Page 4

A PLAYER'S IDEAS.

.;.wfi OF .ACWS;, ■',';. ; '■'. Mr.'- clover, raniediatfj..mp/t----\vffi}is4'i&d*Wss&:M?'l&i'- «'»e>v.clcftftbnt ilife'lpVb6ih'g his • sincerity, his ,'Mental 'lierve, and .tliFWuVo icjeall: ho. : Jiolds. 'They, arei Hi'uiquo •■' in' .au , ' ■ act6i'-niaiiager-pro-

Itrietor. - :,.-'..;,.:;.:- ;->• '• ■• ■■■-•■• ;■."•■:..■■ . : As'V : .o,.;rule; these distinct : individualisma-:if 'they in'iy .j'strnngely apt, .tp pull' in different ..directions;. , ,'i'ho ■ star; .actor, who .is his own- and proprietor. hhs' an,.awti/.ard- niann.avof. restricting the ;cftort3 of;.,the:.'memhdrs o.t -,h\a..'coniwiny, ibeuig., posed: to.'.attrnct- tho ■maxi'totun :gloiry:; by .-.the. •'comp'.ajra_tivo ,systcni."'-,TWs,, : in. ; offect; nieans 'a' _ of ■ .{he;.rest' of. the'j artistslin' .tho cas&-th6y arq"; iio't. to o\o: this Vomthat ig "case, -the andichcpt'.uiight jpbrceive- hietrionicvirtues which itend-:.to'•lesie%-;tho brilliancy 'it: the""sfar." Aiiy ct. _t»knt hurt's ,hirtrftn^^;Ue^'w9n i t, , t haye. i .it,....Th;en;; 1 agafin; : Ss' aii- actor'.'of-.broau.'vie'ffs, ntfij, 'soaring ihdulgq" his' artistry,' but the propriette iiV'him; will.'Say.'.",No" quite loudly.' ■Ho; l doesn't;understkn(l,.Vusually,' aiid ; is>firmly 'conriuced'.-'tliat ' tpo" public;- do notwaiit^t.;v ■; ,:;",v..' : ,:•:• \ • 'Take"another: yiow.'.,' ,Tho ''managor. likes' to. haye .a go6d;allTrouhd/ ■.company, 1 but > the "star"/!actor.'varid''..proprietor .are , 6omenme3 indifferent;.;on tho, point.' '"Give'.mo Va goddiiilayy , and a''gqod;/star,'".'.'says the pro. priptor,; to'ifhich'fiontiment the..'''star''- agrees. ."Do 'says ; ,the ,"stai!'J,.aiient',tho'.mounting iflf , a , ■piece,"but , he doesi libt' find,, tho,,proprietor.:gushing a| s tho..i i (!e.a.^And'so. 1 ,they, : so^fcreiit. He is nrtjistic,..and..spjnakfs»sacrini:<!s to.;art|sbf.:.is Biaiiager', , ahtUeii'gngesiv good; coinpaflyi 1 ' even. ;d6irji,' to. tlie,.p'laycrs) of ; minor parts;'; and as a. proprietor it is- a. pleasure for } hinl r to , ''do' it "we 11."..-'"..--. ■-. ~■ '„'"■ !.--. ; '.'.-■"■ .'..'.".■

!.'So he' sits in'the office, Mβ.'mobile featurea seriously.-'set, "and.; ; a. ■suggestion 'of.' sadness in;hfs big grdyeyes—all comedians are serious off the stage—and'talks.' , ,-..".. :.. .■:..:■■ .:."I know that I've, got a clever.'lot.of people with me;.:l engaged ; them.'for., that, reason, r ha(T the ! pick of all London, but there.were .no-girls whom V know were as clever and dependable.; as ;thoso I have'..with mo, and so it was with tli'o male pcoplo; I know, they• could do ; what I: wanted thoin .'to >do.' They do it, and ,I'ye: never bebii'callecr upon to harass .them, lhat is- what- kills-, so -many youriir players*- . They have ideas—iuteHigonco, latent talent—but, owing .to • tho harassing they have i°.) W<r*B° . v are -in .'a large percentage temper,ament(iny;:hanimered--f|at,r'- Sometimes •Jh. e y^,i'pcj)V(ir,T^m9ro:.oi , .tere..-.they don't.'/ They becpme.,\aatomatons-Tl6se-.that individuality to vrliicn a :,their .talent- is, twin." •.■'■:;.■ ■ •. .•■.'■!" / ; individuality H : a9 ' valuablo to inn as any gift of personation ho may hay«w P«ople who-argue that>personality is:all ! that; is required do not comprehend the difference between individuality- and , person- 1 ahty. I contend-that individuality 'is the'soul of. .Man—his mental , :outlo'ok. -Persohality is the physical, side, of:his -nature,- what he ap-pears-to. bo..- -.■■■ ».-'• ■ ■ ■. : - :

"When a man acts,"-said Mr. Ward, warming; to. hie subject,."he adapts/his'personality to that of the character he is playing. So it was-when Irving played Louis Xl.' You saw' tho'personality of Louis as- limned by the author, but the individuality : of Irving radiated through the" personality of the charactet! The -result. was'a great' performance. It was not the mere impersonation- of : ;the' Frenoh king, but.itwas the combination of that with the brains of a genius behind if. 1 ' - - Mr. Ward .considers that acting—real acting —is, at present at a low-obb in England, and thinks that the death ;of Sir Henry Irving was:a rblow. to tho best. school .in histrionics— tho 'stock..company.'-'■'■ln-;-Irvine's generation there'waj: an intelle'ctnal atmosphere about the dramatic-stage, off England that "is'lacking' today/'.He'raised the'dfamatib ideal, : -and' by force', of'example and achievement encouraged others.:-. ■'. •■; .-,■■.■.•..-•:■..■ •...■...:■', ■ ../ ■-. . .