The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-03-28
WOMEN ON THE STAGE.
Small Rewards for All save n Hew-Top Sal
artes OF Leading Ladies.

Into a room in an uptown office building there
passed at irregular intervals young women who.
after having spent some time inside, rcappearcd
at the door and started down the hight OF steps
that lead to the street. This happened all day.
A line OF women was continually going in and
out. None OF them stayci very long. and none
OF them left the room with expressions OF par
ticular satisfaction.
" don't think there could be any better warn
ing" said a theatrical man who had an office
opposite the door through which the girls disap-
peared. ito women who think OF going on the
stage than the sight of that string of women.
That is a theatrical exchange. and in and out of
that office they go every day. Some OF them
the lucky ones-disappear after a while, and
they seem to have found places. But the ma
jority come and go for a long time before any
thing is found for them. The best don't come to
the exchanges, you know. Only those who are
not well enough known TO have their services
always in demand are compelled 10 look for
positions through the agents. The others can go
to the managers. or. in some rare cases. have the
managers come to them.
There never was a subject about which less
was really known than that OF the rewards that
a life on the stage brings to a woman. remem-
bar 20 have seen once an interview with Lolita
Craotree In The Sun IN which she SAID mat the
sion could. Lolita is one OF the few very rich
women OF the stage. and l am afraid, that opti-
mistir opinion was affected more or less by her
own success. II she had not accumulated a half
million or more Lolita might not look so favora-
bly, upon the stage as a means OF livelihood for
women.
The ideas that are prevalent about salaries.
the general idea OF the large amounts paid. and
the prospects for saving money that such occu.
patton affords, are all basel on very erroneous
IMPRESSIONS: There are. OF course, actor. that
Bus there are not many OF them. There are very
few people. FOR instance. who would believe that
~ III LODI ~ n rat NA0 - atAaL
company gets only SlOO a week. That is for
about thirty weeks Of the year; or mayhe thirty:
five at the outside. On the road she receives 1928
a week. A certain amount is paid by her man
eyer toward her costumes, hut when II happens
Tat TIL plays are not successful and have TO be
oh inged frequently, the expense OF costumes
uses up u large proportion of what she may
make, The most popular leading woman in
in New York and an extra S25 on the road. Yet
us many OF the people at the theatres in which
whom she associated. But she's to he a star
herself after a while, and then she will make
building up her popularity. even IL she was not
These women that get the salaries ! spoke Of
are the best paid in the country. Among all the
women on the stage I doubt IL there are Nifty
who receive az much AS that. One lending lady
The women who act on the road with star. get
usually S75 or $50, and in some cases 800. But.
schedule. The prices range on down to 800.
which is about the smallest salary paid TO any
woman in n firSt-class company.
When they get to he stars on their own ac-
count the case is different. Usually the women
stars get certain sums every week in salary,
and certain amounts from the profits. Some OF
the best paid get $500 a week in salary and one
quarter ofthe profits. Then they begin to make
money. One-quarter OF the profits may equal.
under favorable circumstances, $1,000. That
makes the salary Of the actor engaged on the
terms mentioned $500 n week. But only tho
lucky ones succeed in ever accomplishing such
success as that. On course, there are others who
take all the money and merely hire their man
ayers. But they are still fewer in number
Another thing that has to be taken into
consideration Ia the fact that a woman has only
a certain time on the stage. She must be a
genius to last much beyond 40. and she Is not
likely to become famous much before 80. So
her time is rather short. After n certain period
the decline begins. and salaries begin to go
down, Just as before the age. say Of 40:
even comfortably OF women OF the stage.
They could be counted on the f~ngers-Lotta,
Maggie Mitchell, Fanny Davenport, and Clara
Morris. There may be a few Others; but they
are mighty few. Compare this with the long
list NJ women that have been popular and sue
cessful in their youth. and think you will agree
with me that the women on the stage are not as
well paid as the aspirants think