Even the persons he is supposed to represent upon the stage always
remain anonymous. Both as a living and fictitious creature he is
denied individuality, and has to be considered collectively, massed
with others, and inseparable from his companion figures. He is not so
much an actor, as part of the decorations, the animated furniture, so
to say, of the stage. Nevertheless, "supers" have their importance and
value. For how could the drama exist without its background groups:
its soldiers, citizens, peasants, courtiers, nobles, guests, and
attendants of all kinds? These give prominence, support, and effect to
the leading characters of the theatre; and these are the "supers."
Upon the French stage the minor assistants of the scene are
comprehensively described as _les choristes_. In this way the pedigree
of the "super" gains something of nobility, and may, perhaps, be
traced back to the chorus of the antique drama, a body charged with
most momentous duties, with symbolic mysteries of dance and song,
removed from the perils and catastrophes of the play, yet required in
regard to these to guide and interpret the sympathies of the
spectators.
Pages:
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585