Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1897-05-01
PAY OF ACTRESSES.
WOMEN ON THE STAGE RECEIVE, AS
A RULE, SMALL SALARIES.

There Are Few who Are Rewarded Lib
orally, but Generally the Business Is Not
Profitable, and Not Many In This Coun-
try Have Made Fortunes.
Into room i'll an up town office
building there passed at irregular inter
walls young women who. after having
spent some time inside, reappeared at
the door and started down the flight of
steps that lead to the street. This hap
pened all day. A line of women was
continually going in and out. None of
them staid very long, and none Of
them left the room with expressions of
particular satisfaction.
81 don't think there could be any bet
ter warning" said theatrical man
who had an office opposite the door
through which the girls disappeared,
"to women who think of going ON the
stage than the sight of that string of
women. That is Il theatrical exchange,
and i'll and out of that office they go ev-
cry day. Some of them-the lucky ones
disappear after awhile, and they seem
to 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 we'll enough known
to have their services always in demand
are compelled to lock for positions
through the agents. The others can 90
to the managers, or, i'll 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 Oh the stage
bring to woman. | remember to have
seen once an interview with Lolita Crab
tree in The Sun 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 l am afraid that optimistic opinion
was affected more or less by her own
success. If she had not accumulated
$500, 600 or more, Lolita might not look
SO favorably upon the stage as 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 not many of
them. There are very few people, for
instance, who would believe that the
leading lady of a prominent New York
stock company gets only 500 week
that is, for about 80 weeks of the year,
or ho of tbn c1,tcifln IN, 10 rnn1
she receives $125 week. A certain
amount is paid by her manager toward
her costumes, but when it happens that
the plays are not successful and have to
be changed frequently, the expense of
costumes uses up large proportion of
what she may make. The most popular
leading woman i'll American receives
only $125 a week when she is i'll New
York and an extra $50 on the road. Yet
as many of the people at the theaters in
which she acts go to see her as go to see
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 up her popularity, even if she
was not getting rich.
'Thcse women that get the salaries |
spoke of are the best paid in the coun-
try. Among all the women on the stage
doubt if there are so who receive as
much as that. One leading lady in q
New York theater gets only $65 week.
The women who act ON the road with
stars get usually $75 OF $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 is
about the smallest salary paid to any
woman i'll first class company.
"When they get to be stars OH their
own account, the case is different. Usu-
ally the women stars get certain sums
evo-y week in salary and certain
amounts from the profits. Some of the
best paid get $500 IA week i'll salary and
one-quarter of the profits. Then they
begin to make money. One-quarter of
the profits may equal, under favorable
circumstances, So, 200. That makes the
salary of the actor engaged on the terms
mentioned $500 week. But only the
lucky ones succeed i'll ever accomplish
ing such success as that. OF course there
dI0 OtlltIS VIII llhC all tllt money dLu
merely hire their managers. But they
are still fewer i'll pumber.
Another thing that has to be taken
into consideration is the fact that wo-
man 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 a certain
period the decline begins and salaries
begin to go down, just as before the age,
say of 40, they increased. Think of the
few rich or even comfortably off women
of the stage. They could be counted on
the fingers - Lolita, Maggie Mitchell,
Fanny Davenport and Clara Morris.
There may be few others, but they are
mighty few. Compare this with the
long list of women that have been popu-
lar and successful i'll their youth, and
think you will agree with me that the
women on the stage are not as we'll paid
as the aspirants think. New York