The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-13

| of running the stage. I was confident /
| could attend to the business details We
sent out perhaps hundred letters to
managers of all the theatres within a
! reasonable distance of New York
But one answer came to reward US
that of the manager of the Stone Opera
| House at Binghamton. ". Y. Now mind
we were both young actors and II was
| getting near summer time, a period when
| players usually do not have a superabun-
! dance of wealth. and We were no better
situated financially than the great major
/ ity of our profession. But we did manage
| to get together company and take IL to
| the New York State town. You people OF
Washington last week had James X.
! Hackett and he played to nearly $40 600.
I We had him in our stock company and l
do not believe that we paid him
any more than any of the other members
| of the organization. and the average sal
| airy was ten or fifteen dollars a week and
/ board at the best hosiery of the town.
| So you can see how Mr. Hackett has
| risen in his profession. although even at
that time he was a really excellent actor.
We had. too Una Abel, who is at present
leading lady and proprietress of a stock
company at Newark, ". j.: Walter Thorn
| as. the juvenile who was last year with
| Mrs LeMoyne, and Hope Ross, seen in
Washington. ! believe. with the same
actress. For three weeks the good people
us enough patronage to pay board bills
and Mr.. Kemper and myself we're almost
frantic. We were compelled to take the
company over to Gloversville for g week
! because the opera house had been rented
for some local musical festival long
before we tenanted the stage. Dur
ing the Gloversville experience | remem-
Der / was compelled to telegraph home for
money with which to pay the actors sal
aries.
"A few days before we were due to re-
| turn to Binghamton received a telegram
from the manager of the theatre stating
it would be useless for us to come back
! the following week. as there was
circus booked for the great day of the
year-the glorious Fourth. But i was de-
termined to die in Binghamton IL need be
! and wired back that we would be on hand
| for the Monday night performance, as
usual. and to commence advertising The
| Fourth happened to be on Monday. 1t
| turned out TO be a terrible sort of day,
rainy, windy. and all that. and when the
circus landed in the town 1t was found
advisable to not even unload the tents,
| and Binghamton was of the map so far
as that particular aggregation OF sawdust
| talent was concerned. That afternoon
/ about O'Clock the storm ceased and the
black clouds were quickly superseded by
| a July sun that brought the people out or
| doors in short order The result was that
| in the evening the only available place OF
/ amusement was our stock company, and
| an hour after the doors were opened the
theatre was damned. The next night was
but repetition, and this condition con-
tinued during our stay in the town. It's
| about the only instance | know of that
| rainstorm made fortune for couple OF
| enterprising young theatrical managers
| The following year Messrs- Wagenhals
| and kemper inaugurated stock company
| at Kansas City, with binary sue
/ cess. Their career since that time is not
of so much interest, inasmdch it does
not involve the hardships and struggles
of the first efforts. AT present they control
the tours of Louis James and Katherine
| Kidder. Nine. Modjeska, and Henry Miller.
| and bid fair to soon become one of the i'm
| portant factors in American theatrical af-
! fairs. theatre on Broadway is one OF
| next years additions to the firms posses
siCns, and several new stars will be under
their direction. And to think that a rain
storm is largely responsible for their quite
wonderful successi
1t is announced that the tour of Robert
Downing the Washington actor. who has
been appearing in the South and West in
1.-THE Gladiator" Will close on January Is.
An estimable gentleman whose adver-
tisements state that he is a well-known
play reader, has founded a school Of play
writing, where the youth Of the land may
learn how to become Belascos, Thomases,
Pitches. Gillettes, and the like.
The alluring announcement states that
the corps of instructors include some
of the best-known of the worlds
dramatists and claims that any person
having a good knowledge of the mother
tongue can become playwright and re-
ceive immense royalties for his work af-
ter receiving twenty weeks instruction
Drop in the price of a course and learn
how to write play" is a new game in
the field of theatrical buneo. and one that
will doubtless attract many embryonic
dramatists.
The spectacle of May Irwin and Peter
Daley opposing each other will be pre-
scented to Washingtonians the latter part
OF this month. The jolly Miss Irwin will
be seen In her new play, "Madge Smith,
Attorney" at the National and the ro-
tund Mr. Daley will show his Hodge,
Podge & Co." at the Columbia at the same
time.
In the Gotham stakes the Daley colors
were an easy winner, but in the Capital
the Irwin entry looks good enough to
carry much of the publie's money. 1t
wasn't so very many years ago that Hiss
Irwin was associated with Mr.. Daley in
the support of James T. Powers, now
thoroughly inoculated with the DAILY mu-
steal comedy company habit.
Col j. H. Haverly, one-time Americas
greatest minstrel manager and proprietor
of the only original forty-count EN-
forty black face entertainment is at pres
ent mana ging the theatre at Portsmouth,
Va. and has dropped out OF participation
in important theatrical ventures, for
time at least.
Apropos of the proprietor of the famous
Mastadons, R. G. Knowles, the comedian,
who is in this country showing vaudeville
audiences that he has not been ruined
by his rena rl...a.ttsiis success in England and
other countries reached by means of
steamers and the like, tells an amusing
story that occurred during his engagement
with the Hayerly show. The telling !s
Mr.. Knowles:
THE Haverly company was booked In
Lynn. Mass The evening in question was
devoted to benefit given for the treas
urer and stage manager OF the Hollis
Street Theatre, of Boston. In accepting
an Invitation to appear at the entertain
ment provision had to be made for trans
portation from Lynn. Everything was
satisfactory, the train was caught, car
rage was waiting at the Boston end, and
was driven rapidly to the theatre.
Upon entering the stage door l was
met by the stage manager, who was con-
hustered. AS l was in evening
dress. he asked me hurriedly if l would
kindly make apology to the public,
stating that Mr.. Knowles had not ar
rived from Lynn, but was mOmentarily
expected and that Mr.. John T. Sullivan,
he actor. now a member of the Lafayette
Sruare Onera House Stock COMPANY in