The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-25
Many Old Plays
Still Pay Well
Special to The Globe.

Special to The Globe.
NEW YORK, Jan. 24.-Few UNDER
stand the system Of brokerage by which
modern copyrighted plays are handled
IN this country, nor are aware Of the
immense amount of system required by
those who have been handling them.
An account of one of the largest agen-
cles OF this kind will probably prove
interesting to the average play gOer.
For instance, most people outside Of
the actual theatrical profession would
venture about an average of two years
as the life of play as a piece of in
come producing property, and be pro-
pOruonately surprised at the informa-
ton that productions of forty years
ago are still drawing royalties for their
authors or owners. "Rosedale," which
was first presented in the middle six
ties, is being played today, and Hazel
Kirke," with which the Madison Square
theater was opened about 1880, is also
in the gray-beard class, but It's age
is lusty, for only recently it was re-
ported as being an attraction at more
stock companies, of which there are
about two score scattered between
New York and San Francisco, than any
other play obtainable for stock pro-
duction, not excepting the Broadway
sensations of a bare season Of two
ago.
Plays of all ages and all conditions,
from the society problem play Of yes
terday, to the humble melodrama Of
forgotten date, are of commercial value,
and the renting of them to stock, rep
ertoire and amateur companies consti-
tutes separate branch of theatrical
business of no mean proportions. An
idea of its volume may be gathered
from visit to the play brokerage Of
fees of Alice Kauser, at F'ortieth street
and Broadway, New York, where all
the Broadway sensations that within
the memory of the oldest fnhabitant
have made theatrical history are kept
in the manuscript closets that cover
the walls from floor to ceiling, to be
let out by. week or percentage royalty,
according to a sliding scale of from
10 per cent on the smaller amounts,
or on from fixed royalties for from
one performance up. There are over
400 plays in the closets, from two to
eight copies of each, with a set Of
parts" or separate books containing
| exclusively the Zines" and business
of the copies, which makes very con-
| siderable stock to be handled.
1t is, of course, necessary to keep ac-
| curate records of the disposition of
these details, and bookkeeping methods
! falling short of the requirements, a
| huge elastic book is made up of the
| loose pages; and expanded by addition
! of leaves for the new plays that come
| in.
80
some half dozen years ago there were
| not over five stock companies in the
| United States, and her gross receipts
| for the first year were SIS. Now she
supplies the attractions for forty-f1ve
stock companies, 1T repertoire COM
| panjes, or bands of strolling players,
and amateur dramatic societies out of
count.
This one branch of the theatrical
profession involves counting players,
orchestra musicians, and the business
stats of the different theaters included
in the system, about $500 people. The
stock companies average about fifteen
people in the cast, and a theater force
of about thirty-fiv while the total Of
the repertoire companies works out
about bakers dozen each. Last year
there were over 700 contracts between
| owners and producers, made through
this office, each one involving the pro-
duction of a play under Miss Kauser's
control. The conduct of this volume of
business requires the services of an
| office staff of twelve; Miss Kauser, the
executive head of the concern, her
brother as general manager, five ste
n0grapherS, three of whom are con-
stantly employed to replace worn-out
manuscripts, aided by a boy who does
nothing but ruling and binding, while
1t takes two others to handle the daily
mail; a shipping clerk and a clerical
| force Of four men, upon whom falls
the task Of looking over, recording and
| making abstracts of the hundreds of
| bOX-ofhce statements of receipts from
! out-of-tOWn managers, and one has to
know the formidable nature Of a box
| Office statement to appreciate the work
| this stands for For upon the data
| spread over its dntricate surface is de-
| termined the royalty due.
One other department of the broker
age Is the facetiously termed "Admi-
| rally CourtY which is Miss Kauser
| herself, for the detection and suppress
sion of pirates" the technical name
| for the small fry of managers who
! produce copyright plays Sub rosa" to
escape the payment of royalty. And
seldom does q theatrical Kirby gat
| past the trained espionage of the
| broker. Long familiarity with the af-
fairs of the stage has made her ac-
| quainted with practically all the titles
! copyrighted and when a new name
! crosses her vision, as it invariably
| does if it shows itself on a billboard
| this side offhe Pacific coast, satisfac-
| tory explanations offer or summary
vengeance falls.
COST OF THE POT WAS HIGH.