The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-02-09
THeATERS IN EUROPE.
Interesting Statistics About Various Houses Of
Entertainment The Greatest Theatre froprisIor.

The greatest theatre proprietor in the
world is the Car Of Russia. No theatri-
cal manager pays so much money for
the privilege of owning places of amuse-
ment. He owns no fewer than seven
big theatres in st. Petersburg and Mos
cow. Next to the Car the largest
theatrical patron in the world is EN-
peror William. who assists two theatres
at Berlin and three i'm the provinces,
which, together, cost him about G150,-
900 per annum.
These statements. says the London
Mail. are made on the authority of Mr..
Edwin q. Sachs who, with corps OF
assistants. has spent much of the past
eight years in collecting data.
Mr.. Sachs has devoted considerable
time To securing diagrams OF all the
principal theatres of the world. and
these diagrams give an excellent idea
OF the comparative size of the latest
European places OF amusement. Within
the National Opera House.. Paris.
DOyly Carte's theatre and the Shaks-
peare Memorial Theatre could be cozily
slowed away on the stage and audito-
torium, and there would be ample room
for the Court Theatre. Sloane square,
i'm the grand staircase, and probably
the Duke of Yorks in the princi pal
foyer.
The theatre maintaining the largest
permanent staff in Europe is the Wen
ma opera House. where the are 756 per-
sons i'm permanent employ of whom 800
are performers. The Emperor OF Aus
tria gives the two court theatres az
Vienna about 100000 per annum. The
French government contributes the
same amount to four Paris theatres
The most wonderful example of local
subsidi2ing OF theatres IL probably that
at Worms. I'm South Germany. At a
time when this was the only n town of
$4,000 inhabitants. el2.00O per annum
was raised by voluntary contributions,
the district council subscribed e5000 and
the Municipal Savings bank loaned
Et500 at "a nominal rate of interest The
balance OF the c25,000 was made up at
bazars etc. The contributions thus
amounted 10 over G1 per head.
on the subject of seating capacity
and cost OF construction of the great
theatres OF Europe, Mr. Sachs gives
some wonderful tables. The great
Paris Opera House holds an audience
OF 2l06 and cost c1.500O00. Tho new
theatre at Wolverhamptou holds exact
~ the same audience and cost Cl3.NO0.
The Budapesth opera House cost e2GG,
600 FOR an audience of 1850 and the
Vienna Hofburg Theatre C5j00O0 for an
audience OF 1883.
or recent London theatres. Her Ma
jcsty's Theatre Is put down at e6O 900.
DOyly Cartc's. now The Palace Variety.
is supposed TO have cost the most
money. e.. over El50.000.
Drury Lane is supposed 90 hold 2jO0.
Covent Garden 2300. and the Palace.
just referred 20, was built TO accommo-
date 1862.
ON the subject OF theatre fires. Mr..
Sachs records no fewer than TOO catas-
trophies between i197 and 1897. The sta
tistics show that tho outbreak general
~ occurs ou the stage: that nearly hot
take place during thc night after the
while only about o.
seventh of thp number happen while
the audience is in the building
Jar@ary ~ the heaviest month FOR
fires in the playhouse. Their number
Is ON the increase. FOR there we're $50
in this decade. as compared with 50g
OF the previous decade hut tho NUM-
bcr uf theatres is, OF course. rapidly
growing.
London leads the list of theatre fires
with 80 in ~ buildinrr. hut tho loss of
life has been nominal. New York has
had Al fires. Paris 20.
The heaviest loss ~ life in any ono
theatre fire in England was nt Eveter.
where there were about 100 THTH
where thgre were nbOut 100 deaths