The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-22
OUR THEATRES.
THEIR RESPECTIVE CAPACITIES FOR
ACCOMMODATION.
what Our Theatre Managers are Doing
for the Coming season.

for the Coming season.
| 1t is frequently asked what ls the respective
capacity Of our theatres. or what Is the capacity
| of this or that theatre.
| 1t is true that each theatre has o diagram of
| its auditorium. to which our inquirlng friends
| might be referred. butt unluckilv, these dia-
grams only indicate the number of first-class
seats in the theatre. whilst In order to obtain a
correct idea of the accommodations Of theatre
the galleries and balconies should not be
omitted in the computation. for under certain
circumstances they will represent as much as
< case In point occurred last season at the st..
Charles. during the Georgia Minstrels y, enter
which we're very ess %
managers will magnify their diagrams. at
| timee-so that Ii Is better TO treat the subject
| from personal observation and from reports Of
| receipts to convey the requisite information.
THE OPERA HOUSE
| Ia doubtless the most capacious theatre In New
| Orleans, and one of the largest in the country.
The building has. q frontage. Of about ninety
| feet by depth Of 100, feet. In Its appliances
and roominess for oil purposes IT SURPRISES
any other similar, institution In New Orleans.
Even encountered as It Is by Its spacious pros
cenlum boxes. open loges and laticed boxes,
the Opera House will seat seat, over 200 PEG.
ppr bro Vu 400 or 500 more with standing
room The seats are distributed as fol-
lows. The first tier, stockholders seats, 70;
parquette, 300: loges grilees Is, seating four
persons each, 50; 10 baignOlres dc parquet, 80
seats. Second tier-36 open boxes, 132 seats;
chairs, 70; 10 latticed boxes, u seats. Third
1872: 10 Iattlced boxes. 76 seats: 70 proscenum
boxes. seats In each. &c., Then We have. the
fourth and fifth. tiers. will, capacity of 600
seats each, making q total of 1886.
The baignoires de Darqu9t the open and
latticed boxes, Ii removed. would afford room
for nearly five hundred more seats than they
AprOpos We are informed that the overhaul
ing which has been begun at the Opera House
will be more extensive than we thought at first.
It will be thorough. and many articles have
been ordered from Paris to restore 1t to its pris
tine splendor.
THE ST. CHARLES THEATRE.
The Old Drury comes next In order. The
auditorium consists Of four tiers Of seats dis
tributed as follows: Parquette and dress circle
100. exclusive Of the proseenium boxes balcony
circle 1000; gallery 1000 making IT, in fact, the
order to give an idea of the accom- mOdations Of
the St, Charles. we. will say that at matinee
given during one of L0tta's engagements, a few
years ago. there were sold $500 tickets at the
door, q figure which we doubt has ever been
attained before or since at this or any other
theatre in New Orleans.
On the occysian of the visit of the Grand
Duke to Lolita over 1725 we're taken in, the prices
being 81. fifty cents and twenty five cents. On
citation the receipts amounted to nearly $500.
Collins drew over $1,000 once. the prices being
seventy, five, fifty and twenty-five CENTS The
st. Charles has preserved the old style OF arm
chairs WhiG, whilst they may not be SO elegant
as the new tangled iron seats. are larger. and
what the management loses in point Of space
on this account Ia fully made up by the ease
and comfort the public derives from them.
THE VARIETIES THEATRE.
There was time when the name Varieties"
was prejudlcial to this theatre, because 1t led
some people of the profession to believe 1t was
a. place where variety entertainments were
given. whereas it is quite the reverse. and fs
owned and maintained by the wealth and
respectability Of our city. with Mr.. Thomas
Hall as its efficient manager. The beauties of
this theatre and it's magnificent entrance and
stair-case are too we'll known to need mention
here. The auditorium is of the modern style.
the. parquete and dress circle being combined,
with seating capacity. of 621. Above. the family
circle will seat ATT people. The galleries will ac-
commodate about 500 more.
THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC.
We have very few figures with which to COM
pute the capacity Of the Academy. Every inch
of room in the auditorium consisting of q par
awaited Of, leaving little or no lobby. The dia-
grams claim that 1t has capacity of 1895. Last
season. with jammed house, Joseph Murphy,
we are told, on the occasion OF his benefit, took
in $1,000.
THE NATIONAL THEATRE.
The German Theatre Of New Orleans has q
capacity of about 800 or 900 people only, but this
Is due In part to the distribution Of The seats.
comfort and ease having been preferred to pros
pectiVe big receipts.
OUR MANAGERS.
Messra. Hall. of the Varieties; Kittredge, of the
st. Charles. and Bdwell & Roig. of the Acad-
envy, are In New York completing their arrange
ments for the coming season. All have nearly
Fl led their dates. and the engagements they
have secured will probably be PUBLISHED In few
weeks.
The Academy will be the first theatre to open,
on the first Monday in September; the st.
Charles will follow soon afterwards, As far as
we have been able to learn, none of the theatres
will have stock" com panfes, the combination
system, which prevails in this country, render
ing stock companies unnecessary.
LOTTA
It Is pretty we'll ascertained that this great
favorite of New Orleans, AMI Of every place that
she has visited viii Pe one OF the attractions as
the Academy, whilst others claim that her en-
gagement at that theatre is contingent upon the
Hall of the Varieties It is said Is making efforts