(The letters of Ruth Draper: 1920-1956, a self-portrait of...)
The letters of Ruth Draper: 1920-1956, a self-portrait of a great actress
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Ruth Draper was born on December 2, 1884, in New York City. She was the daughter of William Henry Draper, a physician, and Ruth Dana. Reared in a world of privilege and comfort, she showed a special knack for impressions as a child and was frequently called on by her family to perform for others. At the time there was no thought of a professional career, since those of her social class did not become theatrical performers.
Draper's independent temperament led to her withdrawal at the age of eleven from Miss Spence's School, after only a year's attendance. Thereafter, she was privately educated. Her tutor, Hannah Henrietta Hefter, profoundly influenced her appreciation of art and literature; and years later, Draper praised her for having "lit the spark. "
In 1903 Draper made her formal debut in society and for the next ten years exchanged visits with friends, attended charitable functions, and traveled. She wrote poetry and published "Winter Flowers" in Scribner's Magazine in 1913. The verse, which was entirely conventional, showed none of the individuality that was to emerge in the scripts she prepared for her dramatic and humorous monologues. At parties Draper was frequently asked to perform her characterizations, and by 1910 she was well enough known in social circles to be included on bills for charity benefits and private performances.
In 1913, while visiting London, Draper performed at a party attended by George V and Queen Mary. The latter became an ardent follower of her career and invited her to perform at Windsor Castle. Henry James was impressed by Draper in London and wrote a monologue for her. It was about an American, nouveau riche social climber in English society. James was a friend of the Draper family, and her inability to work with his material caused her considerable distress. But this pattern was consistent with her artistic development. She simply could not satisfactorily realize characterizations other than those she prepared herself.
At the outbreak of World War I, Draper was making appearances for various charities throughout the United States. After seeing her perform, the English actress Marie Tempest offered her a small part in A Lady's Name, which ran on Broadway for two months in 1916. It was one of the two times that she appeared other than as a solo performer. Toward the end of her career, she appeared in New York City with her nephew, Paul Draper, the classical tap dancer.
The Polish pianist Ignace Paderewski had known Draper since 1891, when he made his American debut and had encouraged her to become a professional. On January 29, 1920, at the age of thirty-five, she gave her first professional appearance in Aeolian Hall, in London. The following year the French producer Aurelien Lugne-Poe presented her in Paris. Max Reinhardt sponsored her in Germany, and she toured Europe with conspicuous success. By the end of the decade she was able to have a nineteen-week season on Broadway. Sarah Bernhardt encouraged her to do comedy; Eleonora Duse advised her against it. As ever she followed her own instincts and included both humorous and dramatic pieces in her programs. By 1935 Draper had brought her art as far as India and Ceylon (SriLanka).
Praised extensively by the critics of her day, she lived to see herself rediscovered in the 1950's by a new generation. Draper's performances were models of concision. She could convey the impression of a crowded room merely by her intonation and bearing.
Her stage props were minimal - usually no more than a chair, table, or bench, and her lighting effects were equally simple. Wearing a dress of muted color, she transformed herself by means of voice, gesture, and accessories into a clubwoman, an immigrant, or a Greek dancing teacher. In addition to her skill with dialect, she was fluent in French and performed several pieces in that language. German, Spanish, and Italian phrases often turned up in her monologues. In "Five Imaginary Love Songs" she convincingly vocalized nonsense words in the manner of such languages as Arabic, Swedish, and Russian, which she did not know. Draper did not originate the serious monologue, but her dramatically sophisticated characterizations considerably increased its impact.
During her life Ruth Draper created 35 monologues, portrayed 54 characters, and evoked the presence of more than 300 others. Her best-known pieces include: The Italian Lesson, Three Women and Mr. Clifford, Doctors and Diets, and A Church in Italy. In 1951 King George VI of the United Kingdom awarded Ruth Draper honorary membership in the Order of the British Empire with the rank of Commander (CBE).
(The letters of Ruth Draper: 1920-1956, a self-portrait of...)
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Draper had independent temperament. She encountered the great and near great in many fields, from the theater to politics.
Although Ruth Draper never married, she had one great passionate friendship. While in Italy she met Lauro de Bosis, a writer and opponent of fascism, and became involved in his struggle. After he died in 1931, while strewing propaganda leaflets on Rome from an aircraft, she endowed a lectureship at Harvard in his name.
