The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-05-12
ON THE ROAD.
How a Traveiing Theatrical Company
 is Managed.
New York Times.

]
 New York Times
 ] Since the system of traveIing companies came into vogue the life of an actor has been much changed from what it was twenty years ago. Now that stock com panies exist in only few theatres in the country. the majority of actors spend their working season " on the road, and their idle summer in Union square, look ing out for what they call - snaps. The result of this new order of things has | been the growth of new departments in the theatrical business. The dramatic agency-a thing of small account and of limited operations in former years-has acquired a great importance. The ad- vance agent has had his duties enlarged
 and his responsibility increased. while the
 business manager Of company is nan burdened with much more care and labor than the leisurely gentleman whG fonn- erly went about the country to "count houses for a star. The whole plan of getting up a travelling company. arrang- ing its route. sending 1t on the road, and
 advertising it, is something of which all persons outside the theatrical world mus, of necessity be more or less ignorant. The whole series ot operations is. there fore, herein described.
 In the first place. manager in this city produces play or an opera which Is sue cessiul. A New York reputation is con- sidered sure "open sesame" to the fasor of what are called provincial au- diences- The manager, therefore. has visions of huge rolls of wealth to be garnered from the inhabitants of towns on the New England. southern, or western " circuit" He wants to send ou, company, and his first step rs to find out where to send II. If he Is ambitious, and has great confidence in his play. he selects the large towns and cities if not. the smaller ones. He sometimes makes out the route himself, and sometimes en- gages capable man to do that. and to go ahead of the company as advance agent. Tke route is chosen so as to em- brace towns which are near to each other, by which long jumps and expensive railroad fares are avoided. Companies frequently do a good business. but sue ceed in wipins out their profits by play ing successively in Brooklyn. Baltimore. Albany. Providence, Jersey City and Harlem. or by choosing some other equally as disastrous arrangement. As soon as the manager has decided what route he wishes to take he telegraphs 10 the proprietors of the theatres of the diff ferent towns. asking them what dates they can give his company. This Is the most important matter. for frequently the answers compel an entire change of the managers programme on accoun, of the impossibllity of getting into the towns he went to at certain dates. The next thing IS to write to all these out-of-town man. agers to find out on what terms they wish to play the company-rent or sharing. It the city manager rents the theatre he has to attend to everything himself If he plays on sharing terms, arrangements may be made for the proprietor of the theatre to furnish newspaper advertising, music, ticket-Seller. door-keeper, etc. When sharing terms are agreed upon. the manager of the company gets any where from sixty to eighty per cent of the gross receipts. The manager of the company always furnishes the street bills or posters, as they are called. and this matter. in these days of elaborate wood- cuts and lithographic printing. is large item. Ike printing of the average travel ing company usually includes. besides a three-sheet bill, printed on ordinary type. one or two varieties of block-b;l,s. on which the name of the play is printed in highly ornamental style in glarring colors: from one to dozen three-sheet wood-cuts of scenes or characters in the drama, streamers of as many as sixty four sheets. and generally some nine shaef stands ir ,,,,,., ,ll... ing manner some startling climax in the play. Printing Is expensive, three sheet cut. m two colors costing, in addi- ton 10 paper and press-work, from B, upward. The printing is usually all ordered at one office. in lots of so many bills for each town. and the theatrical printer puts up each lot separately. and sends t by express in time for the advance agent 10 md it at it's destination when he arrives there.
 While all this work is going on the manager is busy engaging his company. Sometimes he does this himself. but more frequently he turns over the whole busi- ness to dramatic agency. On the books of these concerns are the names and ad- dresses of the majority of persons in the dramatic and musical professions. The agent is informed as to who is in town, and in very shor, time ge, togther com pany to play anything from Forbidden Fruit to "The Two Orphans" or from 'Pinafore to lolanthe. When the com pany has been selected, and the question oi salaries arranged, rehearsals begin. As to salaries. the manager pays an actor SO much week and his boarding ex- penses, or leaves of the latter item and gives the performer about Sio week more. The latter system is preferred by managers. fer it has been found tha, when an actor pays his own board he will spend hours in searching for cheap hotel. but when the manager pays it no hotel on this humble earth is good enough. About two weeks before the company starts out. away goes the advance agent. the pioneer who clears their path busy, alert. lonely man, who Is continually on the rush. and who cannot stop long enou sh in one place