Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1902-11-28
some Interesting Particulars of IN.
theatrical Career and the VARY r
ing Conditions which In r.,
nuenee II. "a

a new crop of stage people is har.
vested in the United States eyery ten
years. Each decade marks the BEGIN
ning OF a new epoch in theatrical his
tory. Er
This fact, says the Chicago Tribune,
does not apply so nptly to stars and
stage people who dominate in the pro-
fessiun, for the life Of these. &c. far AS
the public is concerned, is usually
somewhat longer. Hut with the rank
and tIe-those who never rise higher
than the level of minor roles ten
years is about the limit Of endurance.
After having served before the public
Tor that length of TING yitr-rt doing
anything .E: 80 LJiS" hftrItaDrlUus ur
novel 10 attract unusual attention the
actor or actress. as n rule, passes away,
in so farns the profession Is concerned,
and n new crop is harvested among the
many anxious recruits ON the waiting
list to fill the depleted ranks.
Men who deal in the talents OF stage
people to- the extent of rcaping finan-
cial rcturn from their lnburs are bet
ter qualified to size up the situation
than others, and their experience
teaches that few ordinary people OF
the theatrical profession remain long
er than ten years in the business. They
either achieve Observation-Disclosures
this is the exception rather than the
rule-or else dropinto other lines after
having been convinced by experience
that the stage. so far MS they are direct
" concerned, offers practically no OPP
pUrtunities for advancement. For this
reason the rank and file ~ the profes-
sion is constantly changing. and the
popular idea "once an actor always an
actor" is cnsily dispr, red.
1t is the office nf the theatrical agent
the man VIII mediates between the
stage people and mnnaEers-that pro-
SCENTS ;he truest phase of stnge life. In
this little clearing house. where talent
is the standard Of confederation, the
mask is removed. and everything goes
for just what it is worth. by reason Of
this fnct those who manage the nfIairs
of stage people are better able to
judge Of the vagaries and nl!urenents
Of the profession than persons on the
outside, and in their opinion ten years
is the average life OF the person who
chooses the stage as a profession.
This condition is more evident
among speciality people than among
those whn adhere to the beaten paths
of legitimate drama. The latter field il
less ~cxhnusting. because II Is Iesa
original than the former, and chnnges
from one line tn another are more ms
lily brought about. The stock and trade
OF men ard women an the variety stage
is originality, and when this endow-
ment has been exhausted the
Of the person cease unless he has sue
ceeded in building up a reputation
which he can live on after he ceases to
be n drawing card with the public.
The theatrical agent 10 brought
into touch with both sides of the shift
ing life Of the stage. lie meets IN en-
thusiHstic "rnw recruit" one minute
and the next turns to face an actor
or actress who has outlived HIS or her
stage usefulness and is Searching dill
gently for m engagement. The agents
life is. in fact. n better drama thar the
average stage productions and he has
enough comedy thrown in to relieve
the monOt"ny. And there IL a good
deal OF comedy about q theatrical e1-
change. md comedy goes.
The sole business Of the theatrical
exchange is to supply attractions to
managers for every kind Of show, and
rs most speciality people are under con-
tract with one agent or another dur
ing the season this Is done with as
much system M prevails in n well-regu-
lated banking institution. Whole pro-
grnmmes are made ny ny the agent
ms 4 manager is required to do but one
thing-sign n check covering the cost.
The price Of complete performance
ranges from 500 to S1.l5o. not includ-
ing transportation expenses. which the
manager is required to pay.
Individual acts are naturally rnted
according to the ability md popularity
of individual actors. Speciality people
draw much higher snlnrics than those
engaged In legitimate work. hut, even
at that. they are admittedly undergrad
considering the character OF some of
their acts. For instance. n woman will
stand against a board and allow a
man to hem in her body with sharu
knives, thrown n distance of is feet
for 900 n day Dist price,. and two
knockabont comedians will beat and
batter themselves numerically for
sos n day Dist price,. This is n sample
OF the salaries paid TO men and women
who appear on the variety .iagc, vet
the market Is o~verstooked with them
all the timo.
WEALTH OF INDIANA FARMS,