Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-09-29
THEATRE RIGHTS.

The Washington Post sum up the law
governing the relations between theater-
goers and theater proprietors.
The weight of legal authority seems to
establish the rights of a theater manage
as follows:
To exclude from his house persons he
desires without exception, and without
giving any reason whatsoever.
To exclude from his theater the holder
of a regular ticket, and to likewise exp
at any time during the performance any
person he may desire by refunding the
purchase price of the ticket.
To refuse admission on a non-transfer-
able ticket to a person who is not the or
iginal purchaser.
To reserve such seats as he sees fit, and
to reserve these seats for any length or
time after the performance has COM
menced, whether the seats are sold or
not.
TO refuse to refund the purchase price
Of tickets which have been once sold
unless a special agreement is made at the
time of the sale.
To refuse to sell tickets to the first per-
son in line at an advertised sale, and to
refuse to sell tickets to any person with
out specifying the reason for such action.
In opposition to these a~utocratic rights
Of a theater manager, the person VINO rs
lucky enough to purchase a theater ticket
and who succeeds in passing the door
man without question or hindrance, has
the right:
To occupy the seat designated by his
ticket.
To express his feelings, excited at the
moment" by applauding or kissing any
piece or performance, provided he Is not
one of a party visiting the theater with
a predetermined conspiracy to break up
the performance, or making a disturb
ance, in which case he is liable to arrest.
If an individuals manifestations of APP
prevail or disgust be displeasing to the
management, he can be removed, as
stated above. by r%efunding of the price
of the ticket. If he refuses to leave
quietly, force may be employed.
1t has been held that the purchaser OF
a ticket may transfer his return check to
another party, but this has been ques-
toned, and the weight OF authority seems
to be that the second party enters the
theater under the provisions Of the con-
tract made by the first party with the
manager, by the purchase of a ticket,
and hence can be removed at will or ad-
mission refused.
The spectator has no right:
To be d~isorderly or a nuisance to 9TH
ers or to the manager.
To occupy a seat other than the one he
has paid for, or to occupy a seat on a
standing room admission ticket.
To goe into a part of the theater, the
admission to Whlcn costs more imam the
price he paid, even though there be no
room in the section for which he holds a
ticket.
TIL purchase of a ticket is held by the
courts to be a contract, or the symbol OF
a contract, entered into between q patron
and the manager. I some cases 1T has
been held to be merely a license, revok-
able at will, giving the purchaser permits
sion to enter the playhouse and witness
the performance. Whether it is a mutual
contract, which can be revoked only by
mutual consent, or whether it is merely a
license, ~reyokable at will, has never been
auuhoritatively settled. To avoid trouble
managers now print a clause upon thell
tickets, providing that it is merely a IL.
cense, revokable at will by the manage
ment, and that the holder can be elected
from the theater or admission refused py
the refunding of the purchase price. The
purchaser in accepting the ticket agrees
to this provision and hence many a law
suit is avoided.