Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-06-12
pUNNING A THEATRE,
ucovy Expenses Incurred by
The uodern Managers.

The Modern Managers.
~ isn't usual for a business man t.
III i mo details of his business public, ,
pase ur ,oII.known New York manager
ald q .n "T seems to be so much interest
'but InC outsiders in the theatre, and SC
fell " ;ncorrect statements have been
alj5Iitsbed about managers expenses.
p1oi:s,I;SsIn erhaps as well to tell the truth
bal .n., NJ in running theatre is that
Ine uY always get successes, and that
ne v ,narcin of profit left by drawing
ne 10 ;s NOT as a rule great enough to off
7eEE n loss caused by failure. Let me
%' unIify. Suppose l have good aver
Asn l95ccess which runs eight weeks to a
0oss of $4,000 a week. And let me
l = ron that those figures represent pretty
bouses. One hears a great deal
W enormous audiences and fabulous
"" .ints but average receipts of $500 a
5yJ FINANCE are very good. For some
S l.,n or other, the first nights of the
~ are little more than half as profit
~ e. as :. fine last. If can get $500 or 5000
.' an Monday l feel pretty sure of
hing $1,000 on Saturday, and saw
,mstbing over 5000 on Friday. If every
i m. .bt we're a Saturday, management
-55rId be easy; but explain it how you
\ J. 9-' for can't, the receipts of the first
-se nights will generally be doubled by
4 remaining three. Well, we are
WING TO $4,000 week, and it holds at
e. rate for six weeks and then begins to
I'm hesitate to take the play off, for
/ Z possible it may take a squirt again.
lrs are the
,T UNCERTAIN THINGS IN THE WORLD
deal with-except actresses. Some
mes play hangs fire at first and then
|I6Out rhyme or reason booms suddenly
j,n success. Why, during the first
i-sp weeks of the Two Orphans the
engagement was not sure that it was a
H. and felt great anxiety about it.
her in London The Private Secretary
"a at first a dead failure; toward the
triOf month it began to show some
ms Of life. The anthor, who was also
/ manager, had a little money left, but
lease was up. Against the advice of
his friends he took another theatre,
d on his play with the same cast, ran
hundreds of nights, and every one here
! rTs OF its success at the Madison
snare. On the other hand, plays that |
rear to be settled down for long runs
sanity and without any warning cease |
/ he attractive; in theatrical parlance,
h bottom drops out of them Now, |
play will probably do neither the one |
the other, and shall be lucky to get |
/! even on the last two weeks. l have, |
| zeore, made about 81 900 in six
ks, My next piece is a failure. 1t |
been an expensive one to mount, and |
Il public let's it severely alone. Few
Il he have any idea to what poor re-
sit is possible to play III a favorite
ne and with very strong cast, if the
doesn't happen to please. l have
to keep a piece on three or four
when the best night was under
and l have played to less than
even hundred. Aud it doesn't
the public long to find out
| at they don't want. You would inn
|ne that there would be sufficient curl
~ to draw fair audiences for three or
T nights, but it isn't so. | have pro-
ed play to a thousand dollar house,
the next night not taken in 5000.
II have nothing / can revive, and
as become the custom to play pieces
p the ground, so that revivals are not
&ble am compelled to run my fail
lEOm three to four weeks, till l can
sgmething new ready. In that time
completely drop all my profit, and
IAN unfortunate enough to get two
lines in succession, l have to dip pretty
into the bank account. OF course,
-Fbe lucky enough to secure a play
twill run a hundred, or a hundred
,idny nights, and then is my harvest
IT, but even in a long run there are
neral periods of depression which take
Fay the gilt off the gingerbread. Then,
weather has great effect on audi
.e, A week of steady wet weather
ll wash away my profits for that week
Fl eat largely into those of the next"
From your figures your expenses are
HOO week? ' said the reporter.
That's about it-sometimes a good
q. more, sometimes a little less. The
1ess mainly arises when 1 have to pay
ayly Tor foreign successes. The prin-
pal agent for these has lately taken to
1anding Is per cent. of the gross re-
-Fts for the right of production of inn
1ant London hits So, if play to
tM he walks off with 5000 rather
l% slice Of the cake, isn't it? But [
A'nmd that when l play to those
ylS The hardship comes in when l
%NAttle more than expenses, and his
FS12ge comes out of my pocket.
RENTS OF THEATRES
1r frby high, those on Broadway
,~!1s nom $25, 1000 to $50, 1000, to which
r -E added interest on Improvements,
,-l manager is always making, the
,'I and tear Of carpets and seats, and
1sonaI painting and decorating. A
.-ue can rarely be used more than
d! weeks in the year, so the rent may
u. averaged at $500 week. The com
IS Of course, the heaviest expense
by heavy; for the principals are over
,alOF the work they do and the ability
possess. 1t has been demonstrated
and over again that very strong
eoht draw without a good play.
!, 5G T actors, like the late Montague
l.; horne, undoubtedly possessed at
@neness and were worth all they
lr"eu' but the average leading man
M! nj, ought not to have more than from
n. % FIZ5, and the leading woman and
s asulenae little more, because of the
Sl Of their dresses.
Aysalary list is:
SS99g lady .. 5000
>sdlenne. 1875
Old woman so
N,ette ''''''''''' an