"SHALL I GO ON STAGE?" IF YQU CAN LIVE
IN CHARACTER, SAYS ELSIE FERGUSON
lng for enlightenment as to the na
ture of humanity, so that you may
(The second of four articles on
stage life by one of the greatest of
all stage stars.)
BY ELSIE FERGUSON,
Famous American Actress, Now at
the Blackstone Theater in
"Shirley Kaye."
(Copyright, 1916, by Newspaper,
Enterprise Association.)
In studying character it seems ob
ious that you must get into as close
Elsie Ferguson
contact with the character under
scrutiny as is possible. Therefore do
not look upon yourself, in your study
of life, as an actress, which would
necessitate the taking on of a certain
amount of pose. Bather begin your
Study simply as a human being look-
apprbach character through but one
thickness your own personality
instead of through two thicknesses,
that is. to say, your own personality
PLUS your pose. Even then you will
A find it a trying business, and one that
baffles good intent almost to the
point of despajr.
"Every time I enter a room where
there are persons I enter it in a most
humble spirit. This Is because I have
studied long enough to know that I
shall waste a great deal of the mate
rial for study there is in ths room.
I KNOW that EVERY roomful of
persons contains a spider-web play of
motives, an inextricably interwoven
plot, as well as the danging ends of
many other plots a store that is
positively appalling in its richness of
material for me as a student of hu
man nature. And I shudder to think
how little of all this in the final
analysis I shall seize and store away
as my own.
And this is the waya girl who goes
on the stage must move among hu
man beings if she is going to be pro
nounced a discerning actress, learn
ing HOW people act For critics
know a lot about real art in the 'Che
ater and they know that "people
don't do such things" as many young
actresses make them dp on the stage.
And they don't hesitate to say so in
their columns. .
For instance, the first thing a
young woman with her eyes open
will discover about the way people
act Is this: That when something ar
resting is said or done in their pres
ence when a spiritual or material
crisis is precipitated they do not
generally react to It with a jerk and
a lot of immediate noise. THEY, you
see, do not knoyr it is coming. The
actress does know it is coming be
cause she knows the part! And yet
she is supposed to be acting out &