San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-07-29

the chorus men and women, the col.
ored 'extras." The 'supers" receive
from Csc to 81 each performance--the
latter figure applying to dress-suit
'supers;" the women are paid from IS
to s. per week; children receive from
$3.50 to SIS per week, and as high as
$40, where the child is required to
speak a line. BY the old way the
captain of the "supers" received his
pay by deducting from each extra the
amount of their first nights pay, and
where regulars dropped out, he put
| on another man who wanted to "see
the show" and, his services costing
nothing, the captain pocketed the
quarter of a dollar belonging to the
regular man. The agency having in
charge these "supers" take q certain
percentage of each mans and wom-
ans wages each night, but collects no
commission from the children. There
are at present twelve extra men en-
ploy ed at the Madison Square thea
tire; twenty-five men at the Broad
way theatre; fifty-two men at
Proctor's theatre; sixty women
at Niblo's, and q number Of men at
the Brooklyn Amphion Academy;
those all are under the agency which
also controls the Star Theater, the
Union Square, the Lyceum and the
Standard Theater. The men give
their time for the first three rehear-
sails, after which they receive half
pay for rehearsals. The Women get no
pay for rehearsals. An idea of the ex-
pense of the extra incurred and attach
edto the production of o play, from the
standpoint of extra people alone, may
be gathered from Mary Anderson's
staging Of The Winters Tale at Palm
er's Theater, when her extra salary
list amounted to 500 a week.
Again, the value of the constant
pers" may be estimated from the ex-
ample shown in Shenandoah. That
play exceeded its 20Oth performance,
and yet, with half q dozen exceptions,
the same "supers" remained who set
put with the first nights production
of the piece.
have heard people, even the mana
gers, belittle the value Of 'supers'"
work. Compare the good and bad
work of supers, and see how much
weight attaches to perfect discipline
and concerted action on the part of
the ''~extras." What would Shenan.
doah do under the old system of
''super captain" whose every third
soldier dropped every night and per-
mitted a fresh recruit to upset the
military requirements.
A new move on the part Of the
agency is to get control of the ballet
dancers and chorus singers. In the
case of the latter q ring rule exists In
New York, by power of which new
corners are subjected to the most insO-
lent and embarrassing annoyances
and completely frozen out, unless they
chance to hit the rings fancy.
Chorus singers certainly stand in
need of a protecting power. But
should the agency succeed in hand
ling this branch Of the bus
mess, something besides a pretty
face will be required to Sc
cure q registration of the applicants
name upon the books. Voice quality
and not physical quantity, will be the
needed passport. A book will con-
tain the names of singers; but entries
will be made only upon the proof Of a
coTtlllcdto, slSuou ny Iopuoaoio mu-
sic teacher, or director, giving the
exact register and quality of voice
and naming its adaptabllity to
certain classes of music, whether
to grand or comic opera
or oratorio. These certificates
will be kept ON file, and managers
will thus be enabled to select a chorus
of people without the annoyance OF
trying a hundred or more of voices to
find ten of sufficient value.
In 1880 Sir Arthur Sullivan tried
over 500 voices at the Fifth Avenue
Theatre to make up the two road
| companies tor the Pirates of Penzance.
He selected about fifty singers.
ARDENNES ,JONES-FOSTER.