The Osceola times., 1881-10-01
THE PRICE FOR A SEAT.
What Has Been Charged During the Past
1000 Years for Seat i'm the
Play Houses.

The price of admission to theaters,
like everything else in the world, has
advanced since the beginning. 1t is
curious to look back and observe the
gradual increase. Among the Romans
amusements were made free; and in
Athens, up to the time of Pericles, 500
b. c., the people could enter places OF
amusement without payment. But after
some time there came change. In Paris
in the early days when the Mystery
Play" was the only known drama. en-
trance was free to all, but a collection
was always made up inside. 1t is on
record that in lj47, at Nalenciennes
one crown was collected per head for
entrance 10 the representation OF the
Passion Play" In Paris, at that time,
all places of amusement were free. But
one day Charles VI, not being able to
find a seat for his royal body on account
of the large crowd present, authorized
the monks who were running the "Mys-
terry Play" to make a rea sonlble charge
for admission. Henry III. brought some
comedians, called gelosi, from Venice.
These gave representations at Blois and
Paris, and the king authorized a charge
OF four SOUS lone sue is equal to one
cent for each person admitted. Gan
thies Garguille, Gross-Goulliaume, and
rurlupin, the Legendary trinity of farce,
used to charge two and one-half sous for
admittance TO their performances, given
at the Porte Saint Jaquese.
About this time the regular theaters
began to fix their prices, and the better
houses charged ten sous for the gallery
and five for the pit. But those OF the
Hotel de Bourgoyne the predecessor OF
the Comedie de Francaise) were some
what higher, as much as fifteen sous be-
ing demanded for places in the pit or
parauettee. At the Theatre Moliere the
price of seats in the pit, which used to
be ten sous, was gradually increased
until in 1867 one had to pay fifteen sous
for a seat.
The right TO sit on the stage was paid
| for in 1862, the amount being one gold
| crown, or about twelve franks. In 1865
| the price OF places at theators was raised
one sixth, in favor of the hospitals, seat
| in the pit calling for eighteen sous
Seventeen years later another increase
was made in favor of the hospitals; foi
the pit the price was twenty sous, and in
proportion for seats in the gallery. In
|
| in the Boulevards and at the fairs was
officially fixed at three franks for the
| first, twenty-four sous for the second
for the fourth gallery. In 1869 the law
prescribed that ten per cent. should be
collected out of all receipts at theaters
for the benefit of the poor. Accordingly
the managers increased the price OF
places without delay.
From 1850 to 1898 the price of seats al
| the different theaters were as follows
| Opera, balcony at the side of the orches'
ira, for the nobility only, ten francs
seats in the boxes in the first gallery, and
seats in the amphitheater, seven francs
ten sous; boxes in the second gallery,
| four francs. pit and paradise, two francs
Comede Franchise Orchestra, irst bal
cony boxes and amphitheater, four
! farncs; second balcony boxes, two francs;
| third balcony, one and half francs; pit
one franc. Whenever the comedians at
the Franchise brought ont new piece
costing them good deal of money, they
were allowed to increase these prices
one.third, excepting to the pit, which
| had TO remain always the same. Prices
al the theaters were reduced during the
revolution. Up t. 1870 the prices OF
seats in the royal aud imperial theatres
could not be changed without the au.
| thority of the crown. But with absolute
| liberty of the theaters the sale of tickets
was regulated like that of any Other
merchandise, and the cost Of seat de-
pends on the will of the manager. This
/ is true of all the theaters in Enrope
except the subsidised ones, where the
prices are regulated by the government.