WHATEVER the play to be produced, musical or otherwise, we are constantly being told nowadays by the "inspired" journalist that, "Mr Manager has found great difficulty in casting certain of the parts"; this is, on the face of it, only another way of suggesting that there is an alarming dearth of talent among actors and actresses, an imputation which is perhaps not entirely unwarranted – although it is my belief that there are plenty of artists of both sexes who only need the longed-for opportunity to prove their mettle. There are many seekers for these opportunities, but they do not always materialise because of the seeking, although the simple fact of being "on the spot" has frequently had a happy result, but just as frequently the reverse. Luck enters largely into the matter; as for instance in a case which came under my personal observation quite lately: a stage aspirant had successfully stormed the magic circle and, though only just emerged from his shell, was of so precocious a nature as to be forthwith entrusted with a few – but important – lines; in justice to him it must be admitted that he was born with certain social advantages which made for competency in the matter of speaking the King's English and also endowed him with an accompanying distinction of appearance; he was no sooner afloat on his first small raft than he consulted me on applying for the second understudy of the principal comedy part, which he was very diffident about obtaining. I ventured a prophecy that he would get it, and moreover that, should he have the good fortune to be wanted to play it, he would come through the ordeal with credit. Within less than one month he was instructed to proceed to a large town in the provinces and take up the part, the principal comedian having been taken ill; and his performance was so satisfactory to the management that he has remained in the company ever since. This of course is a deserving case, but here is where the luck came in: the first understudy would, in the ordinary course of events, have been sent from London, but could not be spared from his post because the comedian he understudied had been ordered to take a rest.

This is of course a somewhat exceptional case and many aspirants may grow grey as understudies without such a chance.

I should be the last to depreciate the value of an artistic education, either musical or dramatic, and everyone is aware of the good work done not only by public academies but also by schools formed by active or retired singers and actors; but I invariably experience a feeling of sadness on reading those lengthy lists of names, which appear with an appalling regularity, of students who have passed this or that test, have won gold or silver medals for this or that accomplishment, and are then scattered broadcast to assail the different professions for which they are stamped as not only eligible but proficient.

As regards acting, pure and simple – by which I only mean to exclude musical plays – there cannot possibly be more than one school which the aspirant will find it advantageous to join, the school of "practice in public," and of this stamp of school there are not many to choose from; in bygone days Sarah Thorne's companies were responsible for many of the well-taught artists who are still among us, and to F. R. Benson undoubtedly belongs the credit of doing yeoman service to the modern stage, his Shakespearean repertoire company having, under his judicious training, been the means of discovering, modelling and perfecting the dormant talents of many of our present prominent favourites.

All the odd "acting societies" which have been formed of late years must also undoubtedly work for good; I do not intend, in using the word "odd," any reflection on their character or behaviour, but only an allusion to their number, which seems steadily on the increase, the title chosen by one of the latest formed possibly however having influenced my mind in using the adjective. They most certainly provide opportunities for producing such talent as their committees may decide to be in the possession of certain plays and players, which otherwise might languish for ages in the oblivion from which some of each should never have been dragged, and for this the playgoing public should be grateful, for in spite of all the drawbacks of inconvenient times and places of production, which render the presence of the "managerial eye" a difficulty, I believe it is a fact that these performances have proved of material advantage to authors, artists, and even absentee managers.

These societies are, however, hardly "schools," many of the artists belonging to them, and taking part in their performances, having already won their spurs in the acting world and accepting these fitful appearances as a means of reminding forgetful managers that there is genuine talent about, if they will only spare the time to look for it.

Aspirants for work in musical plays have perhaps more to go through before coming into the horizon of the manager's view than their more fortunate brethren of the dramatic stage, having first of all to pass the dread ordeal of a "voice trial," nowadays rather magniloquently alluded to as "an audition"; the word ordeal only faintly describes what is frequently a holocaust of ambitious victims, who stand or sit about the stage in dismal half-dozens awaiting their turn to demonstrate their fitness, or the reverse, before a judge of the sternest description and a jury composed of fellow-aspirants, robbed of most of their sympathy from the very fact of the competition. It is little wonder that voices quiver and knees tremble long before the first verse of the selected song has been interrupted with a suave "Thank you – that will do – you shall hear from us if there is a vacancy."

I have been present at many of these "auditions," and must admit that the sketch given of one of them by Pélissier and his confrères at the Apollo is so near the actual thing at some moments as to be almost equally painful.

I suppose there is no actor or actress of assured position who is not constantly being implored to use his or her influence in obtaining a start for some prodigy of talent which has been discovered by, as a rule, admiring mothers or fathers, whose notions as to the requirements for a theatrical career would be laughable if not so pathetic.

There is a popular superstition to the effect that "a word from you will do so much, Mr Actor," but my own experience teaches me that, with of course some few exceptions, that "word" is, if anything, less of an assistance than an actual drawback; I fancy there is a lurking suspicion on the part of the high official approached that the counsel for the plaintiff has his own fish to fry, and no doubt this is frequently the case, while an additional difficulty is added to the procuring of an opening for some protégé by the species of chevaux-de-frise of accredited agents and appointed talent seekers which surrounds every manager of distinction, and who are humanly resentful of any infringements of their privileges.

The commercial element will also occasionally enter largely into the transaction; of course entirely without the knowledge of the manager, and against his principles as well, and I well remember a case occurring some years since when it was discovered that a chorus master had framed his recommendation of the applicants on a scale corresponding with the fee he had received; needless to say that, on the circumstances leaking out – if I remember rightly through his strongly recommending a vocalist who had no voice whatever – he ceased to adorn that particular theatre with his presence.

Even after all the outworks have been stormed, and the much-desired contract secured, there is in most cases a long and wearisome term of probation to be passed before the chance is offered, and bitter heart-burning will be aroused by the selection, for some inexplicable reason, of another aspirant for the position which on the surface belongs, of right, to the slighted one.

I was once rehearsing for a musical play in which I was to appear, and the leading lady – who had a rather dramatic type of part – was for some reason prevented from attending some three or four rehearsals; it was naturally difficult to proceed with the scenes in which she was concerned without some sort of representative, and being the early days of rehearsals, understudies had not been allotted; however, on a request from the stage manager for someone to come to his assistance and read the part, an intelligent and youthful chorister promptly proceeded to show that she not only knew most of the words and music but was capable of giving a more than useful rendering of the part; the average person would reason from this that she would be given the regular understudy – which in fact she was – and that on the first opportunity she would be called upon to play it – which she was not – at least two other people being given preference over her. The same girl also came to the rescue one evening during the run of the play, when the soubrette of the cast was suddenly seized with illness just as the end of the act approached, and stepping out of the ranks took up the part and finished the act, thus saving an awkward situation.

I am not at all sure that there is not a certain danger to the prospects of a career in demonstrating this species of "general utility," the above being by no means an isolated case of the kind within my own experience, and it is only too certain that such treatment, however unavoidable, and for whatever reason meted out, is bound to create a feeling of discouragement difficult of dissipation.

The ideas of stage managers certainly appear to run in a kind of groove, at least as regards understudies, any effort at originality on their part being, as a rule, sternly repressed; this is all very well, of course, if such originality tends to make a serious difference in the scheme of the play or scene in which it is shown, but as so many of the popular favourites of the day have secured much of their popularity by certain little tricks of manner, quaint gestures and idiosyncrasies of all sorts and kinds, it naturally follows that it must prove an almost insurmountable handicap to the understudy to be compelled to follow so literally in the footsteps of his or her overstudy, so few of the supervisors having the power to discriminate in the matter of personal temperament and thereby realise the values of a slightly different reading compelled by the difference in nature.

This lack of perception is the means of placing many a round peg in a square hole while square pegs to fit truly lie at hand unnoticed; if Mr Jones is short, stout and shock-headed, the ranks of the professional army are searched to provide an understudy for him with the same personal attractions, and he is secured without any consideration as to his real fitness for the part and even less as to whether the part might not perhaps be more effective if played by an artist who is tall, thin and of more sedate capillary adornments. Confusion becomes worse confounded if, in such a case, the part played by the original artist is not precisely of the style which the author would have written for him had he been aware of his going to play it, but which, by right of his position as "principal comedian," is, in a manner, forced upon him; it is easy to understand that, given the original discrepancy between artist and rôle, and adding thereto the difference between artist and understudy, we frequently obtain a kaleidoscopic result as irritating as it is unnecessary.

Looked at from every aspect there is little doubt that the position of an understudy is a not too enviable one, and it is not to be wondered at that those who have been through the mill, and have attained success are as a rule full of sympathy and ready with assistance to those who are still on probation, and it is by no means one of the least pleasant incidents of stage life to recall the many occasions on which, after the fall of the final curtain, a spontaneous and hearty burst of applause has greeted the initial effort of a performer, from the hands not only of the principal artists concerned but the entire company, who have watched that effort with a sympathy and appreciation possibly enhanced by the reflection that yet another has stepped out of the ranks and set foot on the ladder of success.

Page modified 3 February 2008