The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-04-22
THEATERS IN PARIS.
ALL ARE At THE MERCY OF PIRArIcAL
TICKET MoNGERS.

These Agents Are In League With
the Society of Dramatic Authors
and Composers, and the Latter RuIe
the Theaters with Rod of Iron. Al
The great abuse that the theater going
public in France has to put up with is the
ring of piratical ticket agents who buy up
nearly all the good seats whenever there
Is a popular piece running and at once
double or quadruple the prices, owing to
their successful corner, which, In conse-
quence of vested interests Of various sorts,
the law is powerless to prevent. These
i ticket mongers lie in ambush near all tho
leading theaters and are frequently I'M
league with the "buralistes or women
who, from time beyond memory, have sold
| places at the regular ticket offices Of the
| theaters. VII
When asked about the system Of selling
| tickets at the Paris theaters, Nine. Sarah
Bernhardt replied: II have tried in vain
to find some way Of suppressing the ticket
mongers, but this is impossible in Franco
unless the matter be taken up by parlia
ment. The chief obstacle is the Society Of
the Dramatic Authors and Composers,
which is a monopoly and rules all theat-
rical managers with rod of iron. 1t
makes contracts with each manager, speci-
flying the amount the society shall take
which is usually Is per cent of the gross
receipts. If the manager refuses to sign
the contract no plays by members of the
society can be performed at his theater.
This would close his DOORS because every
dramatist in France is a member of the
society. All this bears directly on the sale
of tickets.
The contracts between the different
managers require that the author whose
work is produced shall be entitled to 100
francs worth of tickets, in addition to two
dozen seats placed at his disposal for the
first and second performances. Besides
this, every author who has one act pro-
duced at theater is entitled to one freq
seat at the theater for every performance
during one year, no matter whether 1t be
his own play that Is given or the play Of
some one else. The author who has four
or five acts played at theater is entitled
each night to free seat for five years.
Six acts entitle the author to free en-.
trance for life. The dramatist who has IL
acts produced at any theater has a right
to two free entrances each night for his
lifetime, with reversion after death to such
third person, also for life, who may be
named by will.
"You can imagine" continued Nine,
Bernhardt, show terribly hampered
theatrical manager Is in Paris, especially
when 1t Ia remembered that the assist
tance publique takes each night for the
Paris poor one eleventh of the total gross
receipts. But the worst Of 1t is that the
authors usually transfer the tickets secured
to them by the Society Of Dramatic Au.
thors and Composers to the ticket mongers
or other agents, who sell them at the high
est price obtainable. This consider real
grievance and explains the impossibility
of doing away with the ticket mongers.
think the Society of Dramatic Authors is
to blame for this"
As M. Victorien Sardou was listening
attentively to this conversation, and as ho
is the president of the Society Of Dramatic
Authors and Composers the writer asked
him to express his opinion on the subject.
The prince of French playwrights replied:
"The tickets and free entrances accorded
to French dramatic authors with hered-
itaIy reversions constitute vested interests
that have accumulated for generations,
and to do away with them would be an
impossible task. Years ago, when was
just old enough to go to the theater, 1t
was not SO bad as 1t is now. In those days
there was famous theatrical hairdresser
to whom all the dramatic authors handed
over their tickets to be disposed of, and
from whom they often borrowed money.
He got the whole business into his hands
and founded the present community Of
ticket mongers. 1quite agree with Nine.
Sarah Bernhardt that it would be impos-
sible to make any change at present"
The explanations given by Nine. Sarah
Bernhardt and NJ. Sardou will enable an
American to understand why 1t is that
when he presents his ticket at the entrance
of Paris theater 1t Is not glanced at
hastily by q single gateman, as In New
York, but Is critically examined by three
grave officials One of these is the ticket
taker Of the theater; another is the gov
ernment envoy, who verifles the gross re-
ceipts, so that the assistance publiquo
may get Its one eleventh, and the third is
the agent Of the Society Of the Dramatic
Authors and Composers Convenient
features of all the Paris theatrical ticket
offices are small plaster and wood models
of the auditorium, with each seat distinct-
ly numbered. 40 that the purchaser can sec
at glance the position Of his scat.
The ushcrs and cloakroom attendants at
Paris theaters as well as the ticket sellers
at the ticket office, are invariably women
The cloakroom women take charge of
overconts, cloaks, umbrellas, etc., for
which they give in return round wooden
check. During the last "en-
tr 'acto' they will, II SO requested, return
tho garments to the occupants Of the boxes
or stalls, so that time may be gained in
putting them on and leaving the theater.
1t Is a peculiar custom for men to wear
their hats at Paris theaters whllo the cur.
tain is down. Thoy are always immediate-
ly removed, however, as soon as the cur
tain rises in Difference to the performers
The programmes are sold at the theaters
for 25 centmes Is cents) apiece and con.
tain we'll executed portraits Of the authors,
actors and actresses, with little scraps Of
biography, and frequently with short his.
torical sketches of the theater itself.-New
V.,,l, T,;h