Rehearsal discipline

by William Charles Macready

It was the custom of the London actors, especially the lead­ing ones, to do little more at rehearsals than read or repeat the words of their parts, marking on them their entrances and exits, as settled by the stage-manager, and their respective places on the stage. To make any display of passion or energy would be to expose oneself to the ridicule or sneers of the green-room,¹ and few could be more morbidly sensitive to this than myself. But the difficulty of attaining before an audience per­fect self-possession, which only practice can give, made me resolve to rehearse with the same earnestness as I would act; reasoning with myself that if practice was of the value attri­buted to it, this would be a mode of multiplying its opportu­nities, of proving the effect of my performance, and of put­ting myself so much at ease in all I might intend to do that the customary nervousness of a first night would fail to dis­turb or prevent the full development of my conceptions. Upon making the experiment I may quote Dryden's line, " 'Tis easy said, but oh! how hardly tried!" I found it much more difficult to force myself to act in the morning with the cold responses and composed looks of Miss O'Neill, Young, and the rest, than at night before the most crowded auditory. Frequently in after-years when I have given certain directions to actors rehearsing, the answer has been, "Sir, I never can act at rehearsal, but I will do it at night." To which I had only one reply, "Sir, if you cannot do it in the morning, you cannot do it at night; you must then do something because you must go on, but what you cannot do now, or cannot learn to do, you will not be more able to do then." The task I found a very hard one, but I fought successfully against my таиvaise honte, ²and went doggedly to it. By this means I acquired more ease in passing through the varieties of passion, confirm­ing myself in the habit of acting to the scene alone, and, as it were, ignoring the presence of an audience, and thus came to wield at will what force or pathos I was master of.

Notes

¹ the green-room — the name given to the room behind the stage in which the actors and actresses gathered before and after the performance to chat or entertain their friends. It still exists, in a modified form at Drury Lane. It seems probable that the green-room was so called
simply because it was hung or painted in green.

² mouvaise honte (Fr.) — bashfulness, bad shame

I Comprehension Check

20. Say if the sentences are true or false:

1. The author says that the actors worked hard at the rehearsals in London.
2. The author once understood that the rehearsals are very important for an actor, playing on the stage.
3. The author says that the more practice you have before acting the more nervousness you will have playing on the stage in front of the audience.
4. It was more difficult for the author to play at the rehearsals in the morning than at night before the most crowded auditory.
5. The author thinks that an actor should not take into account the presence of the audience and act for himself.

Vocabulary Practice

21. Explain the meaning of the following expressions from the text:

respective places on the stage, display of passion or energy, expose oneself to the ridicule of smth., morbidly sensitive, to resolve to rehearse with the same earnestness as someone would act, a mode of multiplying opportu­nities, put­ting oneself so much at ease, customary nervousness, go doggedly to smth., passing through the varieties of passion.

VOCABULARY 4

Performance

matinee (performance) evening performance ballet satirical play opera dramatic play comedy musical comedy

puppet show opening performance (opening night; first night) gala / gala presentation /gala night first night audience theatre-goers new season a play (an opera) begins its run on June 10

22. Express your attitude to the kinds of performances from the box using the following expressions:

I like/dislike…because I am crazy about…because

I can’t stand (bear)…because I am mad on…because

I hate…because

I adore…because

I am a fan of…because

READING 4

23. Read the text and explain the meaning of the words and expressions in bold, translate them into your native language.

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