Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-10-04
"Our Popular Theater.'


tanned the following paragraph clipped
from the Tacoma Union, under the
heading of "Our Popular Theater."
John Miller Murphy, the vetern editor
and publisher of the WASHINGTON STAND
ARD, and proprietor of the Olympia
lheater, came over to attend the open.
ing performance of the Casino Opera
Company Monday evening When Major
Pond was here with Mark Twain he
spoke very pleasantly OF the manage
ment Of the Olympia Theater, which he
found to he a family affair. Mr.. Murphy
Is ITS manager, his sons sell the tickets
and act as dOorkeepers and his daughters
act as ushers, and all the arrangements,
Major Pond said, are nice and popular.
If it were not an occasional oasis
like this In the Sahara of the past four
years, the burden of maintaining q
theater in town like ours would long
since have been abandoned. But &C.
casionally from the rostrum, fire.
quently from the press, and univer-
sally from the dramatic profession
would emanate such eulogistic express
sions OF appreciation of the effort TO
supply our people with a 1irst-class
Temple OF the MUSES., that we were
content to struggle on and hope for
salvation in better times.
The above extract shows how the
matter looked TO Major Pond, although
the audience out to hear his "Mark
Twain" aggregated him barely more
than enough TO pay transportation ex-
penses and hotel bill, and the house
barely enough profit to pay interest on
the amount invested in its construc-
ton single day. But be did not
know that the thin cruel served on
that occasion had been the steady diet
for many, many months. He was told
that the people were all out camping,
and by this excusable fiction. he was
deprived Of even a glimpse behind the
curtain, or the slightest inkling OF
how much stern Economy may have di.
rected the nice and popular arrange
ments," under which the theater was
managed. We might have told him
that most of the stage help was gen.
erously donated and that frequently
the orchestra gave their services free
to reduce the losses of the manage.
ment to the minimum.
If the primary meaning of the word
popular" is intended by our contem.
porary in using the above caption, it is
eminently proper, for it has been
largely the "common people" (Web-
ster's definition of "popular") who
have kept the theater open during
these hard times. Take the exper.
fence of the past month for example
The Casino Opera Company performed
at less than the usual prices. 1t had
in leading part one OF our best and
most enterprising public citizens. q
man who achieved competency and
lost it in trying to build up Olympia
Mr.. Woodruff; the company was
above the average. rs has been shown
by the brilliant reception accorded il
during a ten-night's engagement a,
the Marquam Grand in Portland and
the comments of the Oregonian and
other acknowledged critics. Still the
two nights in Olympia barely aggre.
gated 500, sum that would scarcely
pay the travelling and hotel expenses
of the company. Then came the
Pay Train," a first.class spectacular
drama in two special cars, and gave 8
splendid performance in all respects
with like results.
II is useless to urge the objection
that travelling companies carry away
money needed here, for few, if any, OIL
of them have done it OF late years
and during good times, when occa'
sionslly some expensive attraction
would omit Olympia in it's route, some
OF our "touey" people would form
theatrical parties and visit Portland
Seattle or Tacoma TO 4" sit in q box
and pay from $40 to $40 each in " ex
penses," before reaching home.
As has been intimated, it is not the
poorer people who have failed to pa
tronize the theater, but the well-to-dc
citizen who, while he feels . pride in
its existence fails to manifest it excep,
by demonetized expressions Of sym
pathy.
When the theater was built, its pro-
jector placed ST., 900, the savings OF 9
lie of toll in the enterprise and Dor
rowed as much more to complete it.
This Was good judgment at the time
and the first years business fully JUS
titled it. Then came hard times, The
loss of several renters in the building
and decreased and decreasing audi
ences at the performances, and an in
crease Of expenditures, for Interest
went up IS profits went down, and .
large part Of the indebtedness bear
twelve per cent. interest, rate which
even good times would scarcely justify
It is unfortunate for the community
that our local banks cannot afford ,
rate of interest that will enable ou
people to maintain enterprises of thi
nature upon their legitimate profits.
So the matter resolved itself into
question of how cheaply expense
could be met, and how much none!