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9
May '09

When Actors Eat and Drink Upon the Stage; Variable Quality of Theatric… – Article Preview – The New York Times

While researching champagne for stage, I stumbled across this 1906 article from the NY Times.  It’s a fun read if you’re a theater geek like me.
1906 NY Times

EATING and drinking on the stage,” remarked the chronic theatregoer the other night, “always bores me when I have dined well and tantalizes me when I haven’t; but whenever I go to a theatre nowadays I am sure to find the people across the footlights either enjoying a big meal or pouring down tea or champagne early and often.”

It’s a pdf, but When Actors Eat and Drink Upon the Stage is worth checking out. If for nothing else, the wardrobe.

3 Comments »

  • Pam Adams

    Perhaps some prop maker of the day demonstrated on “How to Make Ham.”

  • http://www.puppetkaos.com Kelvin Kao

    Haha, this is very interesting. One time I was doing a show in which there’s a scene where I’m just sitting on the side in front of a computer drinking energy drinks (I think it was Red Bull) while the main characters do their stuff. The first night I used an empty can for the “drinking” and the unopened ones for display. On the second night, I thought “I am getting a lil bored pretending to drink” so I opened one and actually drank it on stage. But at least I only had to do that for two nights.

  • http://karen-wester-newton.com karen wester newton

    I once heard an actor talk about being in LIFE WITH FATHER when it was on Broadway. She said that so many of the scenes were around the dinner table the actors complained about having to constantly eat mashed potatoes. The prop person figured out how to make undyed cotton candy and that’s what they used. Melts in your mouth.

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