The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1894-01-25
AMERICAN ADJUSTMENTS.
The Immense Amount Of Money
Spert in Theaters.
A Large Army of Professionals Are
Kept Busy-Fortunes Annually
Spent in Travelling on the
Railroads.

It is estimated that there are per-
haps as many as 1000 travelling theatri-
cal companies in the United States,
says the Washington Post. This in
ciudes everything that can be con-
sidered strictly professional companies,
to say nothing of the countless amateur
organizations OF the strictly theatri-
cal organizations it is safe to presume
that the average receipts per night for
the 1000 companies are $500 each At
seven performances per week for each
company the weekly average, rs will
be seen. would be s2,S0O The average
theatrical season is forty weeks. The
entire L,0O0 companies with an average
nightly receipt of s4oo would produce
weekly receipts at seven performances
per week amounting to s2,So0,0 This
multiplied by forty, the number of
weeks in season, would yield gross
receipts amounting to S1l2, ,OOO,OO
From the above estimates some idea
can be formed of what the American
people spend annually for amusements
by companies which are known as
strictly professional Thousands Of
dollars nrc also spent with amateur
theatrical organizations and lecture
bureaus
Itwould appear from the above state
mcnt that a great deal of money is made
by theatrical people. The expenses in
cident to earning Sl12. 1o0,O0 are very
large. 1t is reasonable to say that
one third, or S9.0OO,0 900, of the total
SIZE, 100000, is spent with railroads
Another very large item is expended
for printing. Great fortunes have been
amassed by printing houses in the
production of theatrical printing alone.
Hundreds of thousands eff dollars are
also spent for advertising in news
papers 1t is safe to say that 40 per
cent of the correspondence between
theatrical managers is carried on by
telegraph, which amounts to great
deal in years time.
The travelling companies, however,
are not the sole possessors of the
grand total, l2,O0O,0O0 This is Gi-
vided between the travelling companies
and the owners of the houses where the
companies play The net receipts de-
rived by the companies would perhaps
lc in the reighborhood of Is per cent or
20 per cent. making an average net re-
suit of between $4,000. coo and $50, ,000,-
COO Out of this. of course. comes all Of
the expenditure for railroad transpor-
tation, and over one-half of the total
amount paid for newspaper advcrtis-
ing Out OF this also is paid fully 05
per cent of the amount paid to print
ing houses
average fifteen people to a company,
making a total of 5000 theatrical peo-
pie travelling over the country forty
weeks out of the ffty-two. This, of
course. does not include the number
of people employed at theatcrs- Upon
the estimate made as to the number of
companies there must of necessity be
the same or more number of thcaters,
es two companies cannot play ut the
Same thcatcr on the same night. There
ore at least on an average fifteen peo-
rle employed at every thcatcr. which
would be $1,000 This added to the
number of people travelling would
make total of $1,000 people. 1t is
said that there 5000 actors and act
rcsses NOW ont of employment There
are at les.:.t engaged in the theatrical
business directly or iadircctly-those
no make Il living from it--G0.0oo.
Some actors make great deal of
money: some do not. Those who make
the most are generally those who say
the least about it. Those who make
the lcabt on annual tours are as class
tho,e who do the nost talking about
having done the grea test business. A
great many managers and stars held
To the old-fashioned idea that they
must always talk about the enormous
business they are doing. the people
they are turning away from their
houses. and how many times 4 week
the standing Room Only" sign is out.
They DO this for the express purpose of |
attempting to deceive tie public. The
best evidence that travelling theatre |
cal attraction ia a good one is the fact |
that large audiences attend it.