Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1888-05-16
THEATRE AUDIENCES.
How They Differ in Character on Ger
tain Nights.

How They Differ in Character on Ger
tain Nights.
Probably few theatre gners realize.
as do the theatrical managers, that
there are in Boston six distinct audi
ences of amusement seekers, and that
they have special nights upon which
they attend theatres. So marked are
the audiences on different nights of
the week that one manager has a name
for each night, which he has given to
it mainly on account of the character
OF the audience which he expects on
that day to see in his house. For in
stance, Monday is lithograph night
Tuesday. deciding night. or assistant
critics night; "Wednesday, train night;
Thursday, might out;" Friday, society
night; Saturday, everybody's night.
Asked to give his reasons for thus
naming the nights, he said: "Oa Mon
day, unless there has been a large ad-
vance sale or the indications are that
there Will be a good sized audience
drawn by the special merit of the per-
formances, we give out what are known
as hthograph tickets. These entitle
the holder to admission to the theatre
in return for the privilege he has given
us OF hanging in his shop window or
in his store our Autographs and small
bills, or, perhaps, are for the use of a
bill board in good location.
at is on Monday evening, usually,
that the theatres change their bills, and
so the opposition on that night is gen.
orally felt more than on any other, and
if there is room it is desirable to pay
of the lithograph or advertising debts
N fn
other. There are more of these tickets
issued than managers would care to
acknowledge, and they are generally
well represented on Monday night, and
so call that night 'lithograph night. ,
OF course, on Monday we get the regu-
lar critics and the first nighters, who
are always on hand to pass judgment
on every new actor or play, but the
dead-head is plentiful on that night,
and recognize him in my nomencla-
ture.
ION Tuesday night we can gen.
orally tell from the receipts how the
business is going to be for the week.
If the house Is larger in money than it
was on Monday, we assume that the
performance has pleased the public,
and has been well spoken of, and that
the receipts Will increase nightly for
the rest of the week. Therefore l call
1t deciding night, as it generally de-
cldes the business. On that night, too,
we get those who never attend theatre
until they have read their fayorite
daily paper, and learned the opinion of
The newspaper critic concerning the
play and players. These are the assist
ant critics, and they are influential as
class. Wednesday night is train
night, because on that night the late
trains especially designed for theatre
parties were run and brought into the
city theatres crowds of persons living
i'll the surrounding towns. This name
Is not so pertinent as it used to be, as
now on nearly all the roads out of the
City there are trains run late enough TO
permit OF out of town people visiting
the theatre, and reaching home at a
fairly reasonable hour.
why do l call Thursday night out
mighty Well, do not want to dis
parage Thursday night, for we get a
strangely mixed audience on that
night, but we are always ceI-
tain to have large contingent of ser
wants on that evening, as that, by some
unwrltten law, seems to be the evening
when the help have their night out.
on Thursday evening by stout, healthy
looking young girls, accompanied by
their sweethearts, and / tell you they
make splendid audience for the ordi-
nary attraction, as the Illusions of the
stage are to them realities. An actress
who cannot make them cry DIT com.
edian who cannot make them laugh
should speedily retire from the business.
On Friday We expect TO see the more
fashionable peTsonages, as on that day.
for superstItious reasons or for other
reasons, there are fewer wedding re-
ceptions, balls and social events than
on any other night OF the week. On
Friday night we also expect to see a.
great many of our Hebrew patrons.
more than on any other night of the
week, although they are great theatre
goers, and are found in goodly numbers
on every night.
''Satu rday night is the best night of
the week for many reasons, and the
audience is more mixed on that even.
ing than on any other of the week.
The gallery Is full of working people
who have been paid their weeks wages
and are seeking enjoyment; the clerks
and shopkeepeTs are there with their
sweethearts and wives, knowing that
they can rest on Sunday, and the front
rows are full of Harvard students.
more especially If there are heather
goddesses on the stage. The nearer
the representatives of the heather god
desses approach the originals in form
and raiment, the nearer the students
get to the stage. You mustn't risk me
why this is. L only state facts. An
experienced theatrical man. acquainted
with the city. could tell you what
night of the week it was by just look
ing at the audience, il he had no other
means of knowing.r