The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-20
NEW THING IN THEATERs.
scheme Which, ~ Successful. ~ ll
Abolish the Horrors of One Night
Stands.


New York. Oct. Those merry people
who inhabit the Rialto fran June until
September, unless they can secure an en-
gagement In some summer troupe or con-
cert hall. have been talking about new
scheme lately which, If IL Is ever realized.
promises to revOlutionize transforming
and one-night playing generally.
IL is nothing more or less than a floating
theater. or in other words. a big steam
boat with an interior modelled like that
OF a theater. The theater boat can steam
from town 10 town, with the company.
scenery and orchestra on board, give a
performance one night and be at the next
town by the following morning.
Ladies and gentlemen of the stage, who
have been stranded in backwoods com
munlues, look with favor upon the new
Orucr OF things. They argue that con-
Germ rich enough TO support such a the
alter Will surely have money enough to
puN IOel 10 send the steamer with the
stranded in in safety
In fact, all the Thespians assert that it
VIII be a gold mine for the prOprietors Of
the show, as they will have no theater
rent 10 meet; no transportation for the
company or scenery or hotel bills To pay.
Inc novelty OF seeing a fine show on ship
board It is claimed, will be just the thing
70 ooom theater-going in small places,
particularly as the managers can afford
to make the prices very low.
IL IS asserted that "A syndicate has al
READY peen formed to build the theater-
poat ana send il on its journey through
canal and river to all parts Of the coun-
Wy, Wen equipped with a good company,
me scenery and an attractive show. 1t
is doubtful IL the matter has progress
that Tar, but there seems to be few rea-
sons why the scheme could not be con-
ducted on paying basis.
The idea is not original with the peo-
pie here. To the Russians is due the
credit OF thinking up the plan and carry
ing II to successful issue. A St. Pc
tersburg syndicate has had a great
steamer built some 400 feet in length ana
40 feet in width The steamer is just
about TO start on a tour of the Volga
stopping at the principal towns on the
way. The Russian authorities usually
opposed TO all innovations. has sanction
ed the scheme and as many OF the Nolga
cities and the towns of its navigable trib-
utaries are without theaters, it is be
heyed that the venture will prove YER
liable gold mine to its projectors.
The Russian floating playhouse is so
constructed that an audience Of 1000
can be comfortably seated. A large
mass of scenery Is carried for the pro-
duction of an extensive repertoire of Rus
sian comedies and dramas and French
operettas Them anager of the show is
a Russian named StrafenOm, and TO him
was intrusted the work of mapping all
the numberless ingenious details Incl
dent to a new venture of the kind.
The quarters of the actors, actresses, SUI
pernumaries, stage hands, orchestra and
all the crew are in the extreme bow Of the
vessel. The extreme stern is taken up
with the machinery, which is of the light
est possible kind, so that its weight viii
not throw the bow into the air. All the
fuel is carried under the body of the the
alter. which occupies four-hfths Of the en-
tire length of the boat and all of its width.
From the lowest point of the orchestra
to the roof is fifty feet The stage Is tribe
less than thirty feet in width and all the
scenery is let down from the flies. The
wings are just wide enough to admit of
the entrance and exit of the players. OF
course. the scenic effects are limited by
the lack of room. but a much smoother
neTfOTmanCe be given than IN the
meagerly equipped theater of the small
town. The players are not Tagged out by
a tresome journey or made uni1t Tor nrst-
class work by the fare of indifferently
conducted hotels.
II such a boat were built by a syndicate
here its construction would necessarily be
based upon the requirements of the large
canals. Using the stern paddle wheel, "
would be possible to construct a boat OF
great beam and length, yet one which
would draw comparatively little water.
Such a boat could make a tour of hum
dreds of towns and at the end OF the sea-
son would not have visited half the places
made possible by the great rivers and
canals and lakes OF the country The field
would be as broad as that open TO com
panies which travel from place to place
by rail.
All the best playing towns from the
atrical standpoint are those which have
waterfront, as the visiting and money
spending population of such place Is al
ways larger than in the stritcly inland
towns. With a first-class company such a
boat could, It is argued, be kept busy from
one years end to the other, and by 1u-
dicious change of productions keep on
making the rounds of the country to an
unending flow of boX-office receipts
Starting from New York, such vessel
could make the trip up along the north
shore of Long Island sound. stopping at
the towns on the Connecticut and Rhode
Island coast Without piercing the New
England country the boat could steam
back to New York and after doing New
ark and nearby New Jersey towns could
steam up the Hudson, stopping at the var
iOus places up to Albany and Troy. From
Albany to Buffalo the Erie canal can
be used and once In the lakes IL would
take a month TO make all the stopping
places before Chicago could be reached,
down at the foot of Lake Michigan.
When the Hennipen canal, now in pro-
cess Of construction, is completed IL will
be an easy matter to get by boat from
Chicago through the Illinois river to the
Mississippi river. The river, with Its
countless navigable tributaries, could keep
q whole fleet Of theater-boats busy for a
task to name the towns Of all sizes when
could be stopped at from the Mime
sofa cities down 10 New Orleans
Down on the gulf the many Texas
rivers can easily be reached, all Ffringed
with towns which would be gold mines 10
good shows. The principal rivers are the
Sabine, Trinity, Brazos, Colorado and RIO
Grande.
This is merely an outline of what a we'll
equipped theater-boat could do in this
country The men who are first in the
field will probably reap the rich harvest.