Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-07-06
PAY OF ACTRESSES.
WOMEN ON THE STAGE RECEIVE, a.
a RULE, SMALL Salaries


a RULE. SMALL SALARIES.
Ehsrs Are . HsW We Ass DsUoeasA n.
orally, 80 oeaesazly - D1uanso h Nss
ffsaHaAle. 80 Me- Nlasy n Ths Csun-
try Have Waas Hsrsansa
,s Into / room In IN up town olllce
building there passed 1t irregular inter
vals young women who. sitter having
spent some time inside. reappeared q
The door and started down the flight Of
steps that lead to the street. This hap
peped all day. A line Of women was
continually going in and ont None a
them staid very long, and none Of
them left the room with expressions II
particular satizfacticn.
II don't think there could b auy bet-
ter warming" said . theatrical man
who had an once opposite the door
through which the girls disappeared,
ito women who think OF going on the
stage than the sight Of that string Of
women. That Is theatrical excbanee.
and in and out Of that Office they 10 cv.
cry day. Some Of them-the lucky ones
disappear after awhile, and they seem
10 have found places. But the majority
come and go for 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 to 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 q life ON the stage
bring to q woman. I remember TO have
seen once an interview with Lotta Crab
tree in The Sum in which she said that
the stage gave women more than any
other profession could. Lolita is one Of
the few very rich women of the stage,
and I am afraid that optimistic opinion
was affected more or less by her own
success. II she had not accumulated
$500. 900 or more. Lolita might not look
SO favorably upon the stage a. Q means
Of livelihood for women.
"The ideas that are prevalent about
salaries, the general idea Of the large
amounts paid and the prospects for saw
ing money that such occupation affords
are all based ON very erroneous impress
sions. There are, Of course, actors that
make large sums, and some that make
fortunes. But there are mot many Of
them. There are very few people, for
instance. who would believe that the
leading lady Of prominent New York
stock company gets only 800 Q week
that is, for about 80 weeks Of the year,
or maybe 85 at the outside. On tho road
she receives el16 Q weed. A certain
amount Is paid BY her manager toward
he1 costumes, but when IL happens that
the plays are not successful and have to
be changed frequently, the expense Of
costumes uses mp large proportion Of
what she may make. The most popular
leading woman in American receives
only e126 a week when she IL in New
York and an extra cas- ON the road. Yet
as many Of the people at the theaters In
which she acts 60 to see her as go to zee
the star with whom she's associated.
But she's to be . star herself after
awhile. and then she will make enough
to repay her for all the time she was
building mp her popularity. even IL she
was not getting rich.
These women that get the salaries I
spoke Of are the best paid in the coun-
try. Among all the women ON the stage
l doubt II there are 80 who receive as
much rs that One leading lady in q
New York theater gets only SOS q week.
The women who act ON the road with
stars get usually S75 or $50, and in some
cases 500. But, as said. there are not
many Of them In the last schedule. The
prices range on down to $50, which 10
about the smallest salary paid to any
woman In a first class company.
when they get to be stars on their
own account, the case is different. Um-
ally the women stars get certain sums
eve-y week in salary and certain
amounts f1om the profits. Some of the
best paid get $500 week in salary and
one-quarter Of the profits. Then they
begin to make money. One-quarter Of
the profits may equal, under favorable
circumstances, $4,000. That makes the
salary Of the actor engaged ON the terms
mentioned $500 q week. But only the
lucky ones succeed In ever accomplish
ing such success Is that. OF course there
are others who take all the money and
merely hire their managers But they
are still fewer In Sumber.
"Another thing that has to be taken
into consideration is the fact that q wo-
man has only Q 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 30. So
her time is rather short. After a certain
period the decline begins and salaries
begin to go down, just as before the aee.
say Of 40. they increased. Think Of the
few rich on even comfortably OF women
OF the stage. They could be counted On
the angen-LottA Maggie Mitchell,
Fanny Davenport and Clara Morria
There may be few others, but they are
mighty few. Compare this with tho
long list Of women that havo I,<,o., 49,