Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-09-12
THEATRE DEADHEADS.
EXPOSURE OF THE INIQUITY OF THE
OF FREE TICKET SYSTEM.


Going to the Theatre tor Nothing
Woes of Theatrical lNanagers-weaIthy
Deadhe eads-Dramatic Editor.
One Of the standing human Curiosities
OF New York, is the wealthy deadhead
1t may not be generally known, but IL Is
a fact, nevertheless, that no deadhead
was ever known to be impecuniOus. The
poor man who wants to go TO the theatre
will steal the money like a man and buy
a lticket. Your professional deadhead
will make $1,000 and then write for
complimentary" For some unknown
reason the professional deadhead has in
grained antipathy to paying for seat at
theatre or on a railroad train. He will
lie, fawn and dishouOr his family TO get
his seat for nothing and then he will take
his friends and spend as in wine between
the acts Good society is hOneycombed
with deadht ads Tuey own their coaches.
dress in Partisan finery, wear diamonds,
give late suppers after the performance,
at the Brunswick, but they never pay for
their seats.
SOME CURIOUS CUSTOMS.
This has given rise to some very curl
Gus customs at the New York theaters.
First Of all is what is called the coach
ers." They>are swell deadnesds who own
their equipages, and are sure to come on
the first night in them If they get compli-
mentarieS AS it is very desirable 10 make
a show of carriages on the first night of a
piece, the managers pet them and take
every means to get them out. To faciii-
tate the theatGr there has recently been
published little book called the Coach
ers' List" which gives the names o the
swell families that can be depended on to
turn out with their vehicles on a first
night il they receive cOmplimentaries be-
fore O'Clock. II is but fair TO say that
this list is very accurately and honestly
edited. II a respectable family is known
to receive tickets and then takes horse
car it is stricken from the pages.
The ingenuity and persistence shown by
some Of these people passes belief There
Is a well-known lady, moving in good so
ciety and well-to- do, who is seen at all
/ first night erformances- But she Is never
: known to pay for her seats. When sne
can not obtain them directly from the
manager. she succeeds in getting them in
round about way. There are always
railroad men, editors AMI OF hers to whom
/ the manager IS under obligation for IA
yors, and it Is through one Of these chan
nels that she will work the tickets On
several occasions special efforts have been
made by managers to give a first night
performance without her. To her request
I for tickets the pOlit, regrets were sent
that they were all sold, not a seat in the
house. But she was there all the same
! in full array. The marked tickets were
! traced IN one case to dramatic editor, in
/ another TO prominent banker. When
asked about it, the dramatic editor dis
played letter he hal received from the
lady, in which she pitgously beggei him
to get her two seats as a special favor, as
she mad been unable to buy them Here
she had deliberately lied about the matter
rather than pay out s. AMI it is curious
to know that she is in every other respect
most liberal, exemplary and seft-respect-
ing woman.
THE MANIA EXPLAINED.
have myself, known OF women who
underwent the most extraordinary dis
comforts TO secure complimentary seats
on Il first night, travelling and toilin2
and impOrtuuing, while Iere were plenty
of tickets to be had ut the regular price
There is but one way Of explaining this
mania. The first nighterS at New York
theatre are in a sense regarded as the
jury vino give, the YER lict to the country
on the play. The press is largely repre-
sented on such occasions But there are
always. out town managers, and in
fuentIsl town people OIL the list. whose
opinion and favor are worth having Tc
be included among these invited guests
tlckleS shallow pride.
There is one side of the deadhead sys-
TEN that ha> never been written about,
md huY il fiaA Il y, 4
suppose he has more cause to hate and
dispose it tnan any Dolly else. for it be-
comes the curse of his life. There never
was man deputed to take charge of the
anu ement colum of u daily paper who
did not very SOFA find out that ne was the
slave OF tickets. A geIeral notion pre-
walls that he carries IN his pocket con
stantIy tickets for all the theatres, Il u
that his special privilege in life is to write
orders for boxes and complimentaries.
On some newspapers he Is expected to
supply the edlto;- chief with private
boxes at half an hours notice, and keep
the staff in amusementS. The business
department of some Of these papers dc
not hesitate to ask him to get seats for
their best advertisers IL he wishes tC
preserve anything like An independent
spirit in his criticisms it is impossible.
and believe that this iniquitouS dead
head business has dons more than any
thing else to kill the fearlessneSS and I'M
partiality of current dramatic and musi,
cal reviews. l was SHOWN not long ago
in one Of our theaters the request coming
through the dramatic editor of daily
paper for twenty-eight seats in three
days. The managers are proverbially
generous in their favors to the press, but
il is with the expectation o. fayors in re-
turn. Matters are not 50 bad in the news
paper offices as they were some years ago.
scarcely hope that the system will :
ever be entirely eradicated The dead
head, like the ticket specuiaror, will con-
tinue to defy ordinance and good taste,
and together they will go down to future
generations bould by common iniQu.ty.- -
Nym Crinkle in Cleveland Leader.