Private theatricals amuse a large circle of _friends_, and any club
willing to undertake the presentation of plays deserve the thanks of
their audience.
Even a simple farce requires much labor and frequent rehearsals to be
well acted, and one soon wearies of the constant repetition of even
witty sayings. The most trivial character must be carefully studied,
for one bad actor often destroys the effect of the whole play. Then the
footlights, stage, &c., must be prepared. A few directions, with a list
of easy farces, may be of service. All who live in cities can easily
hire scenery, dresses, &c., but for the benefit of towns and villages,
we will give a short account of how such things can be managed.
Some lady can almost always be found who will give the use of her
house. A house should be selected which has two parlors, connected by
large folding doors or an arch; one parlor being for the audience, and
the other for the stage. All the furniture and carpets should be taken
from the latter room. A rough staging should be built (boards can be
easily hired), and by boring a hole in the floor, a gas pipe can be run
up along the front of the staging, with a sufficient number of burners.
Tin shades painted green (as they render the light softer, and more
agreeable to the eye), are an addition, for they keep the light from
the audience, and throw it directly on the actors. A large floor cloth
can be nailed on the stage for a carpet. A drop curtain, so arranged
as to be rolled up quickly and easily, by means of a cord pulley at
one side of the stage, where the prompter sits, just out of sight of
the audience, is necessary. Scenery for the sides and back parts of
the stage can be roughly painted on cloth; it answers every purpose of
canvas, by being strained when wet, over light wooden frames (made so
as to be easily moved); when dry, it presents a smooth, hard surface.
Each member should provide his or her own dress. To give the required
expressions to the faces, a box of good water colors, some fine chalk
powder, camel’s hair pencils, and rouge saucers are wanted. To make
frowns, scowls, or comical expressions, such as a broad grin, smirk, or
simper, stand before a mirror and assume the desired expression; then
trace the wrinkles produced with a fine brush of the brown tint; this
will fix the required expression on your face. Rouge is best applied
with the finger. Burnt cork is excellent for darkening eyebrows and
making moustaches, also for representing leanness, which will be done
by applying a faint tint just under the eyes, on the sides of the
cheeks, and under the lower lip. A strong mark running from the corner
of the nose down towards the corner of the mouth on each side marks age
or emaciation.
A few directions may be of use in regard to the preparation of
theatrical dresses. Powdered wigs can be made of tow, ravelled yarn,
or gray-colored horse hair; beards and moustache of the same, or a
piece of buffalo skin. Ermine can be made of cotton flannel, with tags
of lion-skin cloth sewed on, or black tags painted. Pelisse wadding is
sometimes used.
Crowns and sceptres are easily made of pasteboard and gold paper.
Velvet talma cloaks, capes, or even the loose velvet sack, can be
converted into cavalier cloaks (the armholes in the sack must be
fastened up on the inside) by fastening them gracefully over one
shoulder. Then put on a large old-fashioned lace collar, ruffles
around the hand, a Kossuth hat, looped up on one side with a paste pin
or buckle, fastening a white or black plume (taken from some lady’s
bonnet), stockings drawn over the pantaloons and fastened at the knees
with bows and buckles; and, lo! with but little trouble, you have a
fine cavalier of the olden times. With old finery and little ingenuity,
a theatrical wardrobe can be quickly made, if all are willing to do
their part, but the larger share of the work is generally done by a
few. Rocks can be made by throwing plain gray blanket shawls over
ottomans, tables, &c. Rain may be imitated by dropping peas in a tin
pan; thunder, by rattling sheet iron; lightning by means of a tin tube,
larger at one end than the other, and filled with powdered resin. The
smaller end of the tube should be open, the other end so managed that
the resin may sift through. Shake the tube over a lamp, or blow the
resin through a plain tube into the flame of a lamp, and you will have
a good imitation of lightning.
Dissolve crystals of nitrate of copper in spirits of wine, light the
solution and it will burn with a beautiful emerald green flame. Pieces
of sponge, soaked in this spirit, lighted and suspended by fine wires
over the stage of theatres, produce the lambent green flames now so
common in incantation scenes. Strips of flannel saturated with it, and
wrapped around pieces of copper, will form the swords and fire-forks
brandished by the demons in such scenes. Devices like the above are
very simple, and add much to the general effect.
* * * * *
The publishers of this book have printed a large number of small plays,
adapted for private theatricals, called “The Amateur Drama.” We will
mention a few of them that are good; the old comedies and farces are
well known to all.