Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1894-07-10
THE FINANCIAL END.
TRIALS OF THE BOX OFFICE MAN AND
THOSE WHO WATCH HIM.

One 20 the Thcater-Tho Manager on tho
Road I1aa to Keep His Eyes Open, Says q
Man VINO Has Bcsn Through tho s1ni.
There is something about the wear
and tear of tsio duties incidental to the
box ofiico that promaturely ages a young
man. Stay by him q single day, and
you'll know what It is. Whom he comes
TO tho thontor IN tho morning and ar
ranges his tickets in the rack and counts
out his change and the advance sales ON
that day, It is with an air of rcsigna-
tion such as kings and queens used to
wear just before they wc-c. cartel out
FOR execution.
There nro so many tickets Of various
kinds and prices prepared for each per-
formance and duly dated and numbered
and marked with big letter OF number
for tho day Of the week This larger
designation Is with tho view Of han
ding rapidly. There arc drawers con-
tanning tho tickets Of tho following days,
each day by itsolf, and when hn advance
sale is mado ho puts tho money received
for it with tho tickets for that day. When
tho day is over, he puts that tray Of
tickets and money in tho safo for the
night. The advance money Is thus usu-
ally kept until the day comes around
and then goes into the pile received for
the nights performance.
The popularity of this business is
that everything connected with the box
Office is cash. The sales are cash sales.
and if a combination show is In tho
house the settlement with tho combina-
tiOn treasurer is made in cash at tho
close Of every performance. Simply put,
therefore, at tho close Of tho day the
difference between tho number Of tick
cts ON hand in tho morning and the
tickets left unsold is represented in the
cash drawer.
As matter Of particular fact how
ever, thero are numerous complications
incidental to tho operation, and the
treasurer Of the house and his assistant
tho box Office young man before allud-
ed to-become prematurely old and alb
normally smart graphing with them
On the rural circuits the travelling
manager Is obliged to bo very wary in
his dealings with the box Office man. As
soon as the theater doors are thrown
open to the public the combination man
ager or treasurer looking after tho in
terests Of tho company playing in tho
house makes his appearance and takes
up his stand at the door, where he can
watch both tho box Office and tho ticket
taker. When You enter any theator
where . combination Is pluying, you'll
see THIS wary individual at his post OF
duty. He is there On tho presumption
that tho local people viii ''do' him if
they can. He knows all the tricks and
wiles Of tho box Office young man ard
the doorkoeper and takes nothing fo1
granted.
He sees that every conner hands in O
ticket of some kind, and that the door
keeper puts that representative Of sc
much cash in tho padlocled box Tho
| pasteboard in that tin box represents tho
receipts Of the house, Of which his com
pany has q certain percentage unless
playing ON a certainty. lie carries the
key to that box, and if he is 'fly" mover
lets the box go out of his sight There
is another watcher ct the gallery dool
taking the sarne prccaution. OF course
no knows tho nice box Office young mar
wouldn't cheat him--not for the world
But oil the Same he Is ON guard against
a possible lapse of conscience.
"On tho road" said Billy Keogh
who has had experience IN the box Of
fee and as travelling manager and ough
to DO pretty well up IN the tricks o.
both, "the travelling manager goes OF
I, 70
ing to do him up If it can. Tho frs
thing he docs is to go to the theater an(
get his mail and size up the loca
man. And the first thing the local mar
does is to got 'ly, and If so it will b'
diamond cut diamond. That process
we call 'jollying' begins Mt once.
''The travelling man is always ON th'
defensive. IIe can't beat the other man
All he can do is to prevent the box offic'
from beating him. He must be up +,
the tricks and as hard as nails. Yo'
know in small towns tho local treasures
gets o yearly benefit and tho doorkeepe
gets benefit. SO these two men will
play travelling companies for the ben
eft Of their friends at every opportunity
"The collusion between the box ofiic
and the doorkeeper is perfect Some
times they arc very sensitive about be
ing watched, and sometimes they pre-
tend to be indignant The most indig
nant treasurer ever met was in plac
where we caught the doorkoeper, VIII
was ON the landing just above the boz
Office, sliding tickets down crack h
the floor into tho box Office below.
''Take q popular price house and bil
audiences of from l, 400 to /, 800 people
and in the rush it is hard TO prevent be
ing done. II / can manage TO hol'
them down to $40 or f25 margin, In
pretty we'll satisfied. A now pocket reg
lister has como into ufe that helps koe,
run Of tho admissions You can stan,
at the receiver, and with your hand Il
your pocket count every person that goe
into the house.
when the ticket seller and tho door
keeper are closo together, there Is th
most danger, for they will communicat
with each other with a nod or by sign
or words that tho company's represent
ative viii not understand. No, don
think the house itself often profits b
these tricks. IL Is considered rule thu
the house is done along with the traN
cling company, though this is not a
ways the case, TO my personal know
odgo. Now York Herald.