The Somerset reporter., 1897-05-20
PAY OF ACTRESSES.


There Are Fsw Who Aro Ee@ardcd Lib
orally. but Generally tic Br,iness I. Not
Profitable, and Not Many In This coun-
try Have Madc Fortunes
Into room IN an UP town office
building there passed at irregular inter
walls young women who. after having
spent some t.mc inside, j appeared a
the dcor and started down the flight #
steps that lead 10 the street Tins hap
pened all day. A line Of women was
continually going IN and ont None Of
them staid very long, and none Of
them left the room with expressions Of
particular satisfaction.
II don't think there could he any bet.
ter warning, said theatrical man
who had an Office opposite the door
through which the girls disappeared,
Ito women who think Of going ON the
stage than the sight of thai string Of
women. That is theatrical exchange,
and III and out of that office they 90 ev-
cry day. Some of them-the lucky onrs
disappear after awhile, and they seem
to have found places. But the majority
come and 60 for long time before any
thing l. found for them. The best don
come to the exchanges, you know. Only
those who are not we'll enough known
to have their services always in demand
are compalad TO look for positions
through the agents. The others can 90
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 life on the stage
bring to woman. I 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 fayorably upon the stage as a means
OF livelihood for women.
1.-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 800 a week
that is, for about 80 weeks of the year,
or maybe 35 at the outside On the road
she receives $126 week. A certain
amount is paid by her manager toward
her costumes, but when 1t happens that
the plays are not successful and have to
be changed frequently, the expense Of
costumes uses up a large proportion Of
what she may make. The most popular
leading woman i'll American receives
only 1925 Il week when she is in New
York and an extra $25 on the road. Yet
as many of the people at the theaters in
which she acts 90 to see her as go to see
the star with whom she's associated
But she's to DO star herself after
awhile, aud 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.
/ ''These 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 90 whG receive as
much as that. One leading lady in a
| New York theater gets only 500 a week.
| The women who act ON the road with
stars get usually So or $50, and in some
cases 500 But, AS | said, there are not
many of them i'll the last schedule The
prices range on down to $50, which IL
about the smallest salary paid to any
woman in first class company.
when they get to be stars on their
i own account, the case is different Usu-
ally the women stars get certain sums
every week in salary and certain
amounts from 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, So, 900. That makes the
salary of the actor engaged on the terms
mentioned $500 a week. But only the
lucky ones succeed in ever accomplish
/ ing such success ms that. OF course there
are others who take all the money and
merely hire their managers But they
are still fewer in sumbcr
"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 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 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-
Jar and successful in their youth, and
think you will agree with me that the
women on the stage are not as well paid
as the asplrants think. New York
Sun.
Washington Puzzles Him.
al have found my way across painless
praiTies where | had never been before