ehearse dialogue or how to set the inflections of the voices
which make the lines get over as they should. These coaches are
usually people without any actual staging experience, consequently
they are not competent to rehearse anybody. Amateur organizations all
over the country are beginning to realize the necessity for
professional stage direction in order to register success, both
artistically and financially. It is not nearly so costly to employ my
organization as it is to have some other which is only giving a very
poor imitation of us, which means a thoroughly competent staff of
real producing directors, who are up to the minute with their dance
routines and everything else required. If you will take the trouble to
investigate you will no doubt discover that the coach you have
employed has been to my school for a very short time, just in order to
get our latest dances and ideas in staging. Why get this service at
second hand? It will cost no more to get it from me direct.

Before you let them read a part for you, you should first hand them a
copy of their part and tell them to go to one side and sit down and
read it through thoroughly. Some of them don't know anything about a
part. A copy of a part is typewritten, and the dialogue that they are
to speak begins at the margin. The cue that they speak on begins about
an inch away and there is a dotted line in front of the cue, but
always what they are to say starts at the margin when parts are
properly typewritten. Parts are made up of what we call speeches. It
may be four lines or four words or two words or even one word. "Yes"
is a speech. What they should know is what their speeches are. What
they have to say is called a "speech," and in parenthesis must always
be the "stage business" or what they are to do. Stage directions
should always be in parenthesis. They are sometimes typed in red ink
on the first copies of the parts.

When they study the dialogue, they should try to fathom the speech;
that is, they should form a mind's eye picture of what the line
conveys to the audience. That is how I teach them to study. They read
a sentence. A sentence is supposed to express a complete thought. They
must get the proper inflection by reading it out loud. No method of
expression is brought into play yet. By that I mean no pantomimic
by-play or facial expression. They are only reading at first. In most
of the amateur shows, the players never do anything else but read the