The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-07-09
THE: DRAMA.
THEATRICAL BENEFITS EXPOSE

site the hrst two weeks OF June this phrase -
Irregular benefits are now in season !" and oppo-
site the last two weeks this phrase :-"About this
time look out for complimentary benefits" Then
1t the first Of July, the legitimate managers close
their theatres sublet them TO itinerant "stars"
and other strolling players.
There is a distinction. it will be observed, be-
tween regular and complimentary benefits. Regu-
lar benefits are those agreed upon between a
manager and his actors as part Of the actors
salary, and are stipulated in the engagement,
whether it be verbal or written. Complimentary
benefits are extra performances, with which man
ayers usually have nothing 10 do, given by actors
TO themselves or to each other. Benevolent bene-
Gts, the proceeds of which devoted to charita-
BILE societies, poor widows, and the like, form
distinct class are not strictly theatrical, and do
not, therefore, come within the province of this
article.
regular theatrical benefit is q mild sort of
swindle upon the public and upon the actors.
The manager engages to pay the actor SO many
dollars a week and benefit. The benefit is dc.
scribed as "balf clear" "one- third clear" "haf
after expenses" and so on, as the case may be,
share the actor is to receive. Stars only get
"clear" benefits, and few Of them get more than
"one-third clear" The ordinary run of actors
are content with half the receipts of the house
after dedncting all the expenses. 1t is not unu-
sual for stars to announce their benefits when
they do not receive a single cent more of the
money taken in on that night than on any other
night of their season.
This brief explanation will enable the reader
20 understand the regular benefit swindle The
public 60 TO the theatre on the benefit night of
Jobn Jones, whom we will suppose 70 be a favor
ite actor IN a stock company. We will assume
tf4at the night is clear and the house crowded The
receipts will then be about $500. Of this sum the
' manager pockets S400 for expenses and $3.50 for
his half Of the profits. Then John Jones pockets
the other $3.50 for his benefit. We call this
Gently suppose that Mr. Jones gets all the money,
and take some pains to be present on that ac-
count. Instead Of this, Jones only gets niodi-
cum Of the receipts, and the manager, for whom
the deluded public care nothing, Is benefited to
an equal amount.
But here it will probably be remarked that,
after all, Jones is not very badly Off since
$3.50 is quite nice little sum to receive for one
nights work. This is precisely the mistake
which managers love to foster. Mr.. Jones does
mot receive $3.50 for one nights work; It is part
of his pay for q whole seasons work. Instead of
giving him so many dollars a week more salary,
fhe manager cuts downthe salary and gives him
q benefit. Perhaps the benefit night is rainy, and
then Jones realizes nothing Under ordinary
circumstances he realizes very little. Sometimes
he makes great hit, but very seldom. But by
the terms OF the contract the manager always has
his expenses paid FIRST and SO he loses nothing.
Indeed, he gains all the surplus salary which he
would have been obliged to pay during the
season had not the benefit been agreed upon. In
general the profits which managers make out of
benefit nights exceed the average profits of the
. other nights of the season.
What would be said if any other business were
TO adopt this benefit idea 7 Imagine one of the
leading daies announcing that 1.-THE proceeds
of the sales Of this paper to-day will be for the
benefit of Mr.. Smith, night editor" Imagine our
merchants accepting the idea and advertising,
Great sales Of dry goods this day only, for the
benefit of Mr.. Snooks, head clerk" This would
be absurd, and people would langh j. dov-l
They would frown it down, in fact If they un-
derstood that the papers or the me. cnants had
reduced the salaries of their Employees on the
ground that these benefit sales would make up
But this unbusinessike custom would be no
more absurd IN newspaper office than II is in
Wallack's Theatre. 1t really is only time
honored device TO delude the public into paying
an PeGor the money which the manager ought 10
r.4y; and the sooner it is discontinued, with all
Its eleemosynary accompaniments, the sooner
will theatrical management be regarded as a
regular, legitimate business, instead of a mere
speculation.
Complimentary benefits are even still more
absurd. They are usually arranged between
actors who have hosts of friends; and You will
notice that the same actors may be seen at almost
all Of them. IL is the mutual admiration style
of things ;-'You play for my benefit and I'll
benefit nothing is required but plenty of impu-
dence and some credit with the printers. The
impudence is necessary 10 start the affair; the
credit TO secure the posters and advertisements.
A few actors meet and arrange these pre-
liminaries. Then the advertisements appear
and the tickets are printed. Every friend
of those concerned is, Of course, found to
take tickets, the number being In proportion to
20 his intimacy. Every bar.room frequented
by actors becomes ticket-Otiice. The
critics are appealed to and literally treated, If
accessible to that kind OF influence. As critics
always write kindly notices of benefits and never
go TO critcise them there is not much difficulty
upon that point. The night at length arrives.
The plays hastily rehearFed are rs hastily ratified
OF The beneficiary delivers a speech written
for himib by some friend. There are unlimited
carousals behind the scenes, and the profits, II
any, are divided among the originators of the
scheme.
This general description will apply with slight
variations, 70 all benefits Of this class. The mu-
Eicians of our theatres seldom volunteer for any
body or anything An actor who has received
more benefits than almost any one else in the
profession, informs us that never have the musi-
clans bonoTed him with testimonial except upon
one occasion, and then he had practically doubled
their yearly receipts. Sometimes gifts are pre-
sented TO the beneficiary at these complimentary
benefits. IL may be accepted as rule, with few
exceptions, that these presentations are never gem
Rine. Either the beneficiary buys the gift him
self, or it is loaned for the occasion. gentle
man of this city has magnificent gold watch, of
extraordinary size, which has done duty nc many
benefit. 'lbis watch, he says, "has been pre-
sented TO nearly hundred actors, aud only one
of them, c0ntounded Irishman, had the impu-
dence 10 attempt 10 keep it," celebrated young
American couple, as the show-bls say, used to
exhibit a case full Of silver, purchased by them
selves and presented TO them at their farewell
benefit in every town they visited. Actresses do
often receive bona fde presents at their benefits;
but as this is q very delicate branch of the sub
ject we will not venture TO elucidate il.
Ofregular benefits it may be remarked that, If
successful, they are like mercy, which "blesses
him who gives and him who takes;" bat II un-
saeeessful they only damage him who takes while
ne who gives has all his expenses paid. COmpl-
mIenaaty benefits, on the contrary, benefit nobody
s ~. aS.ols Who depend upon such enterprises are
So,inoniy naa artists, and "good fellows" only
hlne Of the term. Besides this the per-
yhaI Co., ~ taentary benefits are uYara-
toxieased, and ordinarily they do NOT know their
parts. The reason OF this Is vhat the resnectable
actors viii not consent to appeav ~ l,ob ,o
formances, and the critics, in eonfartsa a. - LEI
established usage, stay away just s,h1y I'LL niII
presence and ther sharpest pens afe naaIsi sIei'
The critics defend themselves by ssa, stat,n.
that the actors play for nothing; bn3
they forget that the audience always have 10 paw
The consequence is that the public are entrapped
into encouraging disrepntable actors ia nine
cases OUT OF ten and into witnessing an inferior
performance In almost every case. We are glad
10 notce thai the complimentary benefits have
been very slimly attended this summer, and this