New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-03-31
ACTORS-THEIR WORK AND THEIR
PAY.

Al this time when those who serve the world by
manual labor are urging yehementy their claim for
adequate compensation; and when, from various CIR
cumstances all questions Of Work and Wages possess
an unusual hold upon the public, some Information
with reference to the pay Of those whose calling IL
to Minister solely to the amusement OF the theatergo
ing world will doubtless prove Of interest WINE the
general public are for the most part, aware that ou
great star actors, Mr.. Forrest, or Miss Cushman, CON-
mand their hundreds Of dollars night and that tue
sweet singers of the Opera such as Piccoomoi, who
alas has recently embraced msrimony and husband,
or youpg Yankeeborn Patti who Is not quite old
enough yet TO think Of ether or the " handsome
Brignoh or the ponderous Amodio, viii not di'pense
their silver notes short Of fabulous thousands OF golden
dollars per month"; the public knows little OF the
rates Of payment accorded to those who undertake the
minor characters Of the drama and the opera. You,
Mr. Payforyourticket, when you go to see Mr. Jones
net Othello' or Mrs. jenkins as Lady Macbeth,
have vague notion that they make huge piles OF mo-
ney but have you cared to consider how many or
how few shel els must eufca to compensate the other
Mr. Smith who comes on as sd robber" or 9TH cit
izen," or that other Mrs. jenkins who does her hmm
bic endeavors in the arduous part OF the peasant
girl" or who ar q member Of the ballet kicks up her
cav heels with the others Of that shorskred persua
sion OF course you never did, nor did ii probably
ever cross your brain inquire into the financial &C.
cres of those many persons whose faces are never
seen on the stage but without whom the stage would
have but little atractyeness for you anybody else
neanpg of course the noble army OF scene painters,
wardrobe makers carpenters, gasmen and 9TH
ers whose good works done behind the green cur
tain TO cay nothing of the musicians the cketeeuers,
the usherr the cktakers the private police officers,
and the other officials whose duties are before the foot
lights and more Immediately with your sovereign self,
Mr.. p. But all these people must be paid, and are
paid in prosperous tins, in current CON- or in equally
current bank notes. The scale Of remuneration for the
humber people connected with theater s not so ee-
waited 10 hold out extravagant inducements to the
rising generation and the hundred-doara week posi-
tom are only attainabe by long years of such weary
work, as would suffice 10 discourage nDetenths OF
those who sigh for the tnsel glory Of the stage, and
does discourage ninetynne out Of hundred of those
who actually enter the profession. There is popular
notion that any who has not brains, or energy or
sense enough 10 make decent living a, anything else,
can AWAY turn his attention TO farming editing or
acting and come out rich or famous, both, IN year
or two Many suppose alto that the actors is an easy
| life; those only think 20 who have never tried n.
Those who do try it, speedily discover that OF all hard
working men, few render more constant, wearing, I'M
ceaspg labor for their money than those who eonsci
entiousy do their duty in theaer Multitudnous and
constantly varying requirements are made OF en- actor
| who has achieved leading position. He mn" be
pgujst an elocuticnis. feneer, dancer boxer,
painter for the proper cooring or making.up Of his
own face and figure small part Of bis art, SOL
der leo far a knowledge of military drill and the
manual exercises concerned and he should be singer,
and Il bit Of author. Lately too, the " Poor Young
Man" at Wallaoks and Oliver Twist at the Win.
ter Garden have demonstrated that if the hero Of the
play be not also clever gymnast, he stands fair
chance Of breaking his neck. And all these accom-
plishments do not come to an actor by nature,
more than TO another man. He must spend as much
time with his dancing teacher, must put up with RS
many sharp raps the knuckles from his fencing
master and take nany black eyes andsore ribs from
the gentleman who teaches him boxing az you, Mr..
r., or any other man who deEres 10 become prof.
Gent in those graceful arts Nor does actor master
his French verb and pronoun OF get through his do,
TO- mi" exercises without quite as much patience aud
perseverance as those documentary numbhng-blocks
demand Of the un-1hespian student.
Putting genius, or extraordinary aptitude for THIS
particular calling out Of the question: among the nat
wal qualifications the actor should possess arc, good
IN, moiy, "quick study" by which Is meant the "a,
inability Of committing words 70 memory with rapdiy;