The sun., 1885-08-16
READY FOR THE ROAD.
ABOUT 5000 ACTORS TO srARa our
FROM NEW FORK THIS SEASON

Tie Vsrtoss Steps Takea By Manaeers la o.
GauixirG Trsveitiug C~~pnns~s Lsas Ne.
fore tie start-Earnisgs sT Lenaiss A etex~.
About nine thousand actors will start
from Now York with the various travelling At
fractions in October" said a prominent the
atrical manager to a Sun reporter recently.
New York is the point from which nlne-tenths
OF the shows start Between now and October
may seem quite period OF time to people not
In the profession. md don't doubt most OF
them think the greater part OF tho work Of
managers In organizing travelling attractions
and laying out their routes will DO done be-
tween now and then. But. as matter Of fact.
the companies which leave here in the fall have
boon organized since the preceding February
at tho latest while their managers have So
cured dates even earlier.
Even before securing dates, the manager o&
q travelling company. unless he controls star.
| obtains q play. Then he laws out his route.
Experience may tell him that his play will NOS
suit certain town. fence In laying out the
route that town is avoided. Perhaps bis play
requires an elaborate nise-en-scene. and the
theatres in certain towns in which he would
like TO show are too small for the large sets.
In such a case. II he thinks that his attraction
is very strong. he may consider 1t worth whils
to have small sets made for the small theatres:
otherwise he is obliged to turn his back on
those towns. This may break up the route con.
siderably and necessitate long and expensive
| railroad jumps contingencies which every wise
manager seeks to avoid.
Having got his play and mado his dates the
manager takes tho third step and engages his
SHSS have BEEN engaged Immediately nm alter he SO g.
| cured his play. Tor very likely some parts n
pany he has already on the road, and he has re-
engaged these. but tho, orgnnization OF the
eneSd manager should * I BE- able % TO- cast pss
himself. and should n%t be Obliged to depend
On any middle M s y more than
whom the leading parts would fit. and that the
eSnsiderations which Induced i.im % seeep. 8
the Of ss s%fes Ri .
procured play which does no, cali for q very
large cast. or for many subsidiary chara9ters.
pay. reqsirs the he ssSsisss Of good and
we'll paid character actors. An experienced
stsil TseS srs s soSnsd H1sS
these: Lending man and lending lady: firss
aa
viii keep the salary list within bounds. G MNa and
sn"ss S wss
fists without running tho risk Of hayine his
by hf esanyy s ss
isdy ensseed from aist:classs Nay YORK ssesi
about $50 on New York salaries. Salaries
Rta, tsan those % p"ld n 10sa WSeh run sSs
season through in the large cities. that q,
the large theatres q tho. country. Actors. and
actresses sre usually quite reasonable in their
IN such stock ompanies. but. their figures are
higher when they deal with the manager oi .
,o mses their In
secondly. the h9rdships Of travel and isoIat!oa !
ShSa T. is
lieved that travelling expenses are paid BY the
manager bns this is only g sneeptonay us pit, nal ths
The management Of a minstrel show assumes
the expenses because. as the company e is com. =.
togssher and thus reduce hotel charges.
the leading mnn and sdy I; n
sbsss s'tss T'P sss Ss
salary nt y comes me the the bretts Her salary unless
first old woman receives from $50 to e75. All
auesto1 q requires
consideration II tho manager has selected .
's Are sser p:,
wardrobe. Hence. before closing contract
MAKE an Il the
Iowsnce made for it The higher 1.-THE the 1. saiss., Il
paid to them h no, asFs s
WardroSs vnS asss exrenses p 0 The % Women Who re-
ceivo small salaries and can least a1ord to
Usually the managers are obliged to advances
to members OF their trou pes portions of their
Wararobe and Ges suroasy @ e enough alihoaeh The
war.irobes OF the women are far moro expen-
t 10 the % men sr nrs usuais Isl much larger than those
made to the women However small an Ro-
sss5y t5
matters nre almost always precisely the re.
verse. However large their salaries may have
| laan thay have nsually not managed to 6RvD
"The salary list Of ilrst;ela,s attraction
shows have salary list as low as 1850 weekly.
and from those figures the down grade is rSnid.
The terms which the manager OF travelling
company can make with the managers OF the
theatres in which he desires TO play depend PER
from m - female minstrel ,ronps TO a Shake:
they have 70 make less favorable terms iol
panies with salary ls,s raging from $500 to
sl.lOO can usually contract for from 60 DOG
wose 70 e IS below Usually sacress
to Goo to as nj anx p saSa NeS
% YORK Is II tbs most ] expensivs en- W tewn for travel:
ling attraction to show in. rs the managers o.
s pessrs es
cal managers who lot out their theatres "a
han Ross
the manager OF = travelling compnny hates n p g
, follow poor attraction. You might thinh
that following a poor show his would draw al
the better by contrast but experience show
, that one bad company will knock out two oI
, three companies which follow. no matter nov
cool they NAV be.
When contracts are mado with stars Ih<
, percentage to be paid over from the box ofii O
receipts Gy the manager OF the theatre Is moi
governed by the salary list OF the company
| but the value Of tho star as an attraction. for
,, as the supporting companies OF stars am
:. usually poor. the salary lists are small. -, y.
, | far larger percentages arc paid to stnrs thai
i to travelling com panies OF the first GLASS; The
, general belief that stars receive enormoui
salaries from their managers Is % POPLAR mar ~
star pays his or her manager salary. One o
, tho lew instances o. star feceiving liked syn
Abbey's apasemeDt. received $500 for everJ
/, appearance In addition to a percentage OF thu
receipts. 1t was given out last season that Patt
, received an enormous salary from Maplsson
r but It Is pretty we'll known In amusement cir
) between her and Mapieson; The percentage 9
n. -. ,..iza f.o, go Marr And NR