The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-22
MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.
DrnnntIc Itena.

ing details about the cost of running q first
Class theatre in New York.
We are frequently asked by correspondents
n 70 state the amount of money expended each
night or week by manager of a theatre,
whether he is not making an independent for
tune every week, and many other similar
~ Questions relative to the theatre, and we have
therefore, gone to considerable trouble to find
out, as near as possible, the actual weekly ex-
81 penses of manager, and will therefore take
~ our readers behind the scenes ''for this time
4 only The stage and all the people en-
4 plOyed on and about it are under the direction
4 Of the stage manager, whose salary is from
I, S15 to 500. In a theatre like Niblo's or
Wallack's, the company consists of one juye-
+ nile man, leading man, heavy man, first and
second old man, three walking gents, one
character actor, first and second low come
" dian, leading lady, first and second old
Woman, juvenile lady, SOubretto, heavy
4 Woman, three walking ladies, ten utility men
and women, and supenumeraries. For these
the salaries range from 500 to so. And here
q we might state that actors have some queer
notions of their own, which nothing can
change. While with some people, no part is
too good for them, few parts are good enough.
: In every theatre in this city, last season, eX-
cepting Woods Museum, each and every
member Of the company was engaged for
special line of business; while, at the Museum,
Manager Wood engaged them with the un-
4 Outstanding that every actor or actress must
N play Just what he or she is called upon to
play; in fact, to make themselves generally
useful, and work for the interest Of the
management. This is as it should be, but
Il how few there are in the profession willing to
accept "the situaton!" A manager always
4 desires to cast piece as strongly as he can,
and often casts the walking gent or the juye-
nile man for part that he would play exceed
t1,,,,,
to accept, because it is utility part, and
threaten to leave the theatre sooner than playit.
Ofcourse the manager must succumb, and while
the juvenile orwalking gent (who maynOt other
wise be required in the piece walks about
(doing nothing during the run of said piece,
he draws his salary the same as usual, and the
manager is censmed by the public for the
4 weakness in some portion of the cast of the
piece. While the men are bad enough, the
ladies are still worse, and are 50 jealous of
one another in the same company that it is
with the greatest difficulty they can be made to
keep their temper. We know of an instance
where the juvenile lady had a part in which a
i song was to be given. So jealous was the
leading lady (both of whom were in the same
piece that she insisted upon having a song
i also, and the manager allowed her to intro
duce one. A boys part" in a piece will
cause more trouble than anything else, for we
all know the weakness of the majority
of lady professionals in wishing to show
their legs and since the padding business
has been brought to such perfection, the
desire to ''be boy again" is greater than
ever, the pads" being SO woven into the
fesh-colored leggings that it is impossible for
any one, excepting an old theatre-goer, to
detect the artifciality. We shall never forget
one night when we were witnessing the pan
tomimic acting of a certain French Spy
actress, to see the pads slip down to the heel.
Then things did look bad, and the symmetry
of the lady was considerably damaged. But
to resume Unless a spectacular piece is
being produced, no more than SIX or eight
ballet girls are needed in a theatre. These
get from SS to $15 weekly. 1t is generally
y supposed that ballet girls are of very easy
virtue. A greater mistake than this was
never made; like everything else, there can
| always be found black sheep in a flock OF
ballet girls, we very well know, but we also
know of many ballet girl getting only $50
a week at the theatre, who supports widowed
mother and from three to four brothers
I and sisters, and, notwithstanding tn,
many temptations theyare thrown among, the,
are ornaments to society. When aspectacle il
produced, the ballet is increased to twenty
five or thirty ladies'. Then there is tn,
prompter, who commands a salary of $50; tn,
call-boy, S15; supernumeraries, at so cents
night; the carpenter, and from three to fv,
and the assistants 1925, who, besides doing tn
work for the stage during the week, shift tn
scenes at night. The property man is one o
the most useful PARTICLES" about theatre. 1
is his duty to make or provide all the proper
ties used in the place, including the stage fun
niture, leg of ham, pot of soup, and thou
sands of little things. His salary ranges fror
$50 to $50. Then there are men up in tn
rigging loft who attend to the flies and tn
curtain Wheel wardrobe keeper and assistants
at a salary of 500 and $40
There are from two to three seer
painters at a salary of from 500 to 500. Th
back door-keeper has $40, and two women
clean the theatre every day at Sc each. The o
chestra consists of the leader, at 800, an
from twelve to sixteen musicians, whose sal
ries range from $50 to $1S week. The g
man and fireman make the forces behind tn
curtain complete. In front of the house v
find a treasurer at $50, two assistants in otfi'
at $15 each, two doorlleepers at Sl2 each, 81
ushers at IS each, and two policeman at Sl
each, making altogether, over one hundrt
persons regularly employed throughout Il
season The gas bill is from 800 to SO
rent about 5000; license, 5000 Ga years. al
insurance, Advertising and printing, S4l
bill posting, $15; and two per cent. upon t
4 gross receipts is paid the revenue department
Generally speaking, ballet girls have to III
all the clothes they wear on the stage, a
pay for the same out of their small plttanC
Actresses furnish all the wardrobe that IN
be required in plays of modern life.
bringing out a spectacle, the cost OF canN
for new scenes is great, also Tor
III silks and satins worn. When a star plf
an engagement he generally shares
gross receipts with the manager after c.
fo;r o,,o1,nt (oenerallV from $3.50 to $500 I