1551. The troupe could now be said to be a quintet, made up of five players all of equal importance in the skits, but as so often happens with anything beyond a duet, the players are always of various abilities. Otis was a great writer, that was becoming obvious, and his acting skills were also exceptional, but the rooster was one of those stellar characters, the type to steal the show and throw all the others into an artistic shade.
1552. The rooster being a bird had the advantage of all birds in that he had universal consciousness and memory. Therefore his mind was full of subtle details and ideas he could draw upon in his performances, but alas he was not creative. The wolf was highly creative but since he was rather like a dog he did not posses either the memory or the consciousness of birds. So it came to pass that Otis and the rooster became a creative team.
1553. There was the recurring difficulty of getting new works into rehearsal, as it was always necessary to bridge the gap of the limitations of the three original performers, but they managed. Almost all of these great works are now lost save one, the well-known “Smallpox,” skit. Here is how it came about.
1554. The rooster was very sensitive to the fact that he was considered an ill omen. This is what he said to Otis about it. “If any bird, or any animal should be awarded the prize of being a good omen, of being a harbinger of joy and good tidings it is the roosters, or cocks, if you prefer.
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