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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.

DRAMAS IN TWO ACTS.
Sylvia’s Soldier,	3 male, 2 female characters.
Once on a Time,	4 male, 2 female characters.
Down by the Sea,	6 male, 3 female characters.
Bread on the Waters,	5 male, 3 female characters.
The Last Loaf,	5 male, 3 female characters.
DRAMAS IN ONE ACT.
Stand by the Flag,	5 male characters.
The Tempter,	3 male, 1 female character.
FARCES.—MALE AND FEMALE CHARACTERS.
We’re all Teetotallers,	4 male, 2 female characters.
A Drop too Much,	4 male, 2 female characters.
Thirty Minutes for Refreshments,	4 male, 3 female characters.
A Little more Cider,	5 male, 3 female characters.
FARCES.—FEMALE CHARACTERS ONLY.
The greatest Plague in Life,	8 characters.
No Cure no Pay,	7 characters.
The Grecian Bend,	7 characters.
ALLEGORIES.—ARRANGED FOR MUSIC AND TABLEAUX.
Lightheart’s Pilgrimage,	8 female characters.
The War of the Roses,	8 female characters.
The Sculptor’s Triumph,	1 male, 4 female characters.