The morning times., 1896-08-23
Greenroom and Foyer.

itS QU0TS tOtD0ETOW cNcuuS iuf thC
season. After three months OF
darkness and dust the Grand Opera
House viii ris5 from corma.cy.
bright and beautiful, as IL new, with new
management and new attraction. Messrs.
Herman and Rife have EXPENDED LIBERAL!
uponthe renovatingo fthe Grand and patrons
in attendance tomorrow night VIII lind
some agreeable changes IN TINS popular ana
comfortable house. The carpets through
outline upperfioorsand through the Fifteenth
street iobbies are all new. Paint has been
Literally applied 10 various portions OF the
big auditorium and on the stage the scenic
artist has supplied a number OF new SETS
Tie arch over the Avenue entrance has
been str;kingiy co,ored and the passageway
is embellished with brilliant new carpet
and an avenue OF tropical palms.
The new proprietOrs OF tie Grand have
made no m,stage in retaining Mr.. Edward
W. Allen as local management. He is
popular, experienced and expert. His at
tention TO the comfort Of his patrons has
always been markedly cons,derate and a
large clientele / s the pubIic's appreciative
return. Mr. Frank Allen will remain as
advertising manager.
The attraction for tomorrow evenings S
opening is promising. The Emma Steiner
Opera Company will present the standard
and favorite opera, '.Amorita." For the
second week OF the engagement Gilbert
and Sullivan's perennial '.Pinaforc" will
be put on, and during the third and last
week Miss SteiDer's own opera, THE
Little Huzzar,'o. will he produced. Miss
Steiner holds u defined and secure place
in the music world, and Is moreover known
for her rather unique position US the only
lady conductor in this country.
The company is made up or favOrites who
have often been heard here with higher
priced companies. Tomorrow night pa
irons will find the best seat in the house may
be had for 70 cents. and reserved sea t IN
the first floor may be had for 15 cents.
The Grand will this season adhere to these
prices and with this policy 1t cannot fail
TO do an enormous business.
eoBERT DOWNING and his company
n are rehearsing day and night ON
their new plays Trey have oc-
cupied the stage OF the New National
since Monday last and the empty
thcater will echo Their efforts for two
weeks more. Theya are working on Edouard
DOusard's fiveact Creek play, In search
OF Happiness" Thispiay mas a n Interesting
history all its own whicn will he reserved
for later narrator. Mr.. Downing believes
he has in IL great play and Is sparing
nothing that will give it vitality in
production.
The other piece engaging the efforts OF
this company is an American patriotic
play, putnam. a Son OF the American
Revolution The autho reserves his
name until after production This drama
is in a prologue and four acts.
Putnam will not be originally played
here. Tits had been Mr.. Dowung's wish
and expectations, but before he bad planned
it he bad signel contract To open Cleve-
land tbeater and the manager thereof viii
not release him. He takes his company
to Cleveland wo weeks from toda y, aud to-
morrow fortnight he viii produce there
for the first time on any stage. Putnam. ="
The company will return Immediately to
Washington. and on the evening OF the 18th
OF September they will reopen the New
National Theater with the initial produc-
ton of "In Search OF Happiness This
viii keep the boards until Thursday y, when
Putnam will he Introduced to Washing
ton play gOers. "'' g.
Both these plays will he given elaborate
productions TO the slightest detail. For
the Greek play Lafayette W. Leavey is
painting the scenery and for the American
drama Harley Merry Is making the scenes.
Charles Ha wtbOrneis making the Costumes
and Morgan SHERWOOD Is maKing the prop
ertirs. SignOr Tregtna has written the
incidental music for the plays aud Signur
Campanini is arranging It.
Mr. Eowning, as Heretofore announced,
will this season be under tie management
of James W. Morrisy, O ne OF the best Known
and most successful managers in America.
Eugenia Blair will be leading woman and
co-star. The balance OF the company in
clude Ella Wren, Mrs. Collins, May
Lindiey, Efouard Dvorak, james Collins.
j. II. KoIker. John Sylvester, J. II. Dade,
William Bramwei, Stewart Robinson, Leo
poid Lane, William Eversoie, Henri Grissett,
Lewis Frohoff a nd two children.
JULIUS CAHN'S Official Theatrical
Guide. which. by the way, is iEd;s-
pensa DIE to every dramatic writer.
y manager and agent, provides as much
matter which Is or interest to the
non- professional as is of value to the people
whose business Is within the lines CT the
theatrical profession. 1t affords a curious
revelation in it's contents OF what an agent
and manager were heretofore expected tn
know before it was epitomiZed in his avail
able and thorough form. First OF all, the
travelling manager must know the names
OF all the towns In the country which have
Il theater, whether they be hamlets OF one
thousand Oh the north edge OF Wisconsin
with an ''opera house" that wouldn't know
opera IL it saw it and the metropolis where
there are from four to ten or a do2ep
theaters- He must know which are the
desirab Bile theaters and to know this in
cludes a knowledge OF the situation locally,
the differences in seating capacity, the
completeness OF the stage. and i hundred
details. He must know the name, initials,
and address OF all the various ma nagcrs
and he must know all the railroads, with
the intTicacies OF connections, and rates.
And this is but the beginning OF the en-
cyciopaedic equipment that must emtellsh
the Uranium OF the manager.
The agent must 60 into more detail. He
must know who are the dramatic critics
and editors, and re must tie acquainted
with them; he must have at his fingers
tips the disparity in rates OF advertising,
the name of the bill poster who is to put
out his printing, the GaIne of the property
man who is TO lcOk after his props, the
baggage man who is to haul his baggage.
If ne is in advance OF all attraction which
carries scenery he must know all the di-
mensions OF the stage, so that his stage
manager may know how to adjust the
scenery: 1.-The width of the proscenium open
ing, the heigiIth. the distance from the foot
lights to the back wall, from the curtain
lire 10 the fOotlights, TIE distance between
the side walls, the number OF traps and
bridges and their position, the depth under
the stage, the amount Of printing required
TO bill the town, and much else. and this
is but the beginning Of his knowledge.
The scope OF Cann's guide may be lima gined
when 1t is known that all these details are
given with regard to every town and theater
in the United States and CanaGa.
The information about Washington 10 Of
local interest. For instance, the seating
capacity Of the various theaters may sur
prise some people. Tire Bi.ou Is listed at
800, the Academy at ,112, the Column
bia at 1000, the Grand is rot given, the
Lafayette. l .64s TIE New National, ,82S.
The Columbia will have tie largest gallery,
seating 800; the New National has the