The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-05-03

gain"
''Gives"
Selves, said: for know that many Of
these actresses play for almost incredibly
small salaries-when, indeed, they receive
any at all"
about what do they receive weeklyI'
81 know many of them whose names are
prominent upon the programmes who get
seven dollars, and others even as little as
+ three dollars week. know of one case
where wealthy young woman, exceedingly
: vain of her not very progressing appearance,
/ gave her services on condition of being
siged part that had something to say. We
( found she could be trusted 20 speak only abouta
/ dozen lines, but everywhere we went she inva-
riably received such Mandatory notices from
the press that enc would have thought she was
the star herself Naturally the star began to
complain. l thought 1 would look into the
matter, and ascertained that her wine bills
for treating persons connected with the press
averaged forty dollars weekly After that
neither my star nor myself were surprised
that the ''wondrously beautiful and remark
ably talented Miss Sniffie Shocks received
such high encomiums from the discriminating
critics for her twelve lines. There is a gen.
eral impression that Mrs. John Hoey, during
her brilliant career at Wallacks, inaugurated
the system of extravagant dressing, but this
Is not the case. The highest price she ever
paid for the material of dress was eighty
dollars, to wear as Lady Teazle With the
aid of a seamstreSs employed in the house
Mrs Hoey made all her stage wardrobes,
and never wore anything more expensive
than paste jewelry. Now nothing but dia-
monds will do for the merest tyro Worth
is the approved dressmaker, and a thousand
dollars is not an extraordinary price for
single costume. How does Mrs. Hoey' modest
eighty-dollar dress compare with that? But
in the general revolution now going on in
theatrical ranks the society actress will find
her Nemesis. By society actress l do not
mean only the well-connected woman, but
all those who are not to the manor born.r
'What will be her Nemesisg'
There viii be general sitting out of the
good from the bad in the seine of low prices.
Only the competent will be retained, num-
bers will be reduced, and only those who
really are worth their railroad fare will be
kept in the combinations. These will be re-
quired to do treble the work, and the novice
or incapable amateur, will soon get sick Of
hard. work and no pay, and so again the
ranks viii be open only to the deserving,
and in this survival of the fittest the amateur
will be forced into retirement, minus heI
money, and with the consciousness of her
time thrown away"
THAT is Nemesis enough, SURELY
Managers foresaw at the beginning of this
season that they would have TO get down to
hard pan in the matter of expenditure and
began the fight by trying to cut down salaries.
Brooks and Dickson inaugurated it, but the
high-salaried actors were able to stand out,
and preferred idleness to reduction. Never
before have known so many leading actors
out of employment as this season. Many OF
them are already coming to managers terms
for next season. Those who viii not will
soon find they are no longer in demand, for
the bulk of the talent in the profession lies
with the men-that is to say, there are more
coming actors than actresses For the sake
Of the promotion, the now small fry, the
little people, will accept salaries that the im-
portant ones of to-day disdain, and another
year or two will see an entire new crop of
actOrsn
''Is the theatre of the future to be the dime
museump
No. But in my opinion in a couple of
seasons more there will not be a regular
theatre outside of New York city that will
ask more than fifty cents admission, except
| i'm oococ Of ,-ov-xv 70 ra oft,ootf0
''Have the dime museums and the skating
Kinks really hurt theatrical business so much
as reported"
"NOt so much as is attributed to them.
People have simply gone to them because
they needed amusement and had no means to
pay large prices for it. If they had not pa
tronized those places, still they would not
have gone TO the theatres. The most sur
prised man IL all the show business this year
has been the manager of the dime museum
His attractions have hitherto consisted of
freaks and variety performers and to find
himself suddenly elevated into the position of
a manager offering good theatrical entertain
ments has surprised him into getting what
is technically called the big head Nor
did be seek his proud eminence.
When managers of theatres all over
the country found that none .but the highest
class of performers would tempt the public,
they were forced TO draw the line of demar-
kation strictly at those, so that second class
stars and combinations, finding they could
get no dates at the regular theatres, made
a rush for the museums. They made money
and spread the news; then, still other and
better attractions resolved to put their
pride in their pocket along with the desired
cash. The consequence has been that the
dime museum manager has found a long
queue of applicants waiting and storming
him for dates. Wasn't that enough to give
him the big headF he has picked and
chosen and dictated the most humili-