The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-08
How PLAYS ARE BOOKED.
This Branch Of the Show Business
Calls for High Managerial Ability.
Rightly Done 1t Insures Success.
Poor Attractions often Make Money
When They Are Skillfully Handled.
From the New York Herald


From the New York Herald.
The booking of play is the most i'm
portant part of the theatrical business.
Managers are deeply immersed in this
feature at this particular season OF the
year. While the process known as book
ing is really going on all the time 1t Is the
principal feature of the summer months.
And thus when the amusement year has
come 10 an end and the theaters OF the
country are practically closed and the
nlaygOers have gone to the seaside and
mountains, the real wear and tear on the
managerial mind has Just fairly begun
For it is in the booking for the coming
season that the manager is 10 make or
lose money.
To book show is to arrange circuit
of places and dates on which 1t IS 10
travel during the coming theatrical year
namely. from Aug. | to June :. 10
book successfully is to select the partlcu-
lar section of the country where thaV par
tiular kind of a show is likely TO be the
best received, to get dates close enough
to each other to be easily played, 10 seI
the particular theater where such play
is likely to do the hest business ana rom
which the best terms will be offered, TO
filed.
The ability to do this, or rather to APP
proximate flor to actually accomplish
it would be perfectiOn-morep early nAeS
the grade OF successful management IMAM
any other particular quality OF theatrl-
cal dictatorship. After the playwright
has given US the detailed prouucI OF
his genius and the expert stage manager
has licked that production into shape Tor
l,,ar n Arp
Sss5t rations of the text and CHANGES OF
business" and adjustment and re-
adjustment of parts and players before
the show becomes the ATTRACTION
known to the pu bic But the success OF
the show financially depends largely ana
sometimes wholly upon the booking
There is often more money IN oad snow
well booked than in good snow odu
booked 1t would perhaps be better 10
observe the distinction between a play
ana a show" since play means onIy
the work of the playwright, when Is
nowadays often next to nothing III IN IN
portanCe, while the term snow luc4uuSS
the entertainment as a whole IN tllS
give the common sense dehultloh anu uou
the manag rial term.
TWO KINIs OF BOOKING.
Speaking in a general way, there are
two kinds of booking done. One OF .nSss
is by the agency plan, IN whlch lht
booking agent in New York represents .
string" of theaters. the other oy th'
manager with his own stirring OF shows
When a theatrical manager resorts TO tht
first plan he decides upon the generel
route which he thinks best to take aur
ing the coming season. and goes 70 ~
agency having the letting Of the Jhealei
in that section, or the most of them, ant
makes that firm the arbiter of his fate foi
a certain commission. As the local thea
tiers represented by that paruculai
agency also pay the latter for the ouSI
ness done for them, the process OF doom
Ing is greatly simplfied
A big agency in this city mas neel
known to book a well-known attraclloI
for the season by wire within two day
But in such case it is usually for tn'
year ahead, and before the dates nave
been seriously touched The agency n4a =
not have absolute control Of the 'str!Hs