Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-04
"COMEDIE FRANCHISE"
WHAT 1T COSTS TO MANAGE
IT.
How the Great French Theater Is Ut
ganized-Not Exempt From
Ordinary Troubles.
From the London Era.

At the head of the Coincide FRANCHISE
is a general administration appointed by
the state with a salary OF 5oVVo liahc@
a year. plus 5000 francs for expenses. Inc
general administrator is usually CHOSEN
from among the most distinguished liter
airy men of the day. 1t is his once 10 rep
resent the state toward the comedians anu
at the same time to represent the COME
dams toward the state, and his duties ue
mand the exercise of great tact ana OF an
the other qualities of the perfect alpi'-
matist The societe civile, or coparther-
ship of the Coincide, comprises tWenty-lour
members or soctetaires All the business
and interests of the company are managed
by an administrative committee or SIX
members and two deputy members, cliossn
among the socetaires by the general ao-
mnistrator who is president or the com
mittee, and whose choice requires the rat-
fication of the minister of fine arts. lH's
administrative committee dominates new
societaires who are chosen, with rare eA-
ceptions from among the penSlonnalres-
that is to say the artists who are engaged
by the year at fixed salaries, and without
ma rticipation in the profits of the company
According to the Moscow decree, a socie-
taire is elected for period OF twenty
years but modification has since peen IN
troduced In virtue of which at the emo Oh
fen vear,' service the committee may OS-
miss the societaire, who, however, has not
on his side the right to retire II the COM
mites wishes him to remain.
Pension System.
At the end of twenty years service the
societaire has right to pension OF o,ooo
francs a year, and for each supplementary
wear of service his pension is augmented by
200 francs The Moscow decree fixed the
number of societaires' shares at twenty
four, each being worth 1900 francs, and
Invisible into twelve twelfths of LOO francs
each. Three or four OF these shareS are re-
served for various uses, and the remaining
shares are distributed unequally among the
twenty-fou societaires. AT the end of the
year the profits Of the period are divided
among the societaireS proportionately TO
their rights of participation; but only half
their share of the profits is paid to them
in cash, while the other half is deposited at
the Monte de Piete, where 1t accumulates
to form the ''fonds sociauX' which the So
cietafre receives when he retires. The in
terest of these ''fonds sociaux' is reserved
by the Coincide Franchise and used to pay
the pensions of the retired members AT
present these ''fondS sociauX' deposited at
the Monte de Piete amount to more than
1900, 900 francs societafre when first
reported very rarely receives at once
whole share, and never less than three ana
a half twelfths. He may receive an addi-
tional twelfth every year If the admfnistra-
tive committee judges him worthy of aug
mentation. All the actors and actresses of
the COmeOle fTdHCdlSo s1ie dltdSHCu " t@iO
establishment in virtue of a decree signed
by the minister of fine arts, in which is
specified the nature of the roles they are to
play, their 'emploi,'' as it is called.
The Management.
The administration comprises the general
administrator NJ Claretie. a general finan-
cal controleur, cashier, two readers,
secretary-accountant and an archivist sec
rotary. The salaries of these functionaries
amount to 10000 francs a year. The COM
pany consists Of twenty-four societaireS
and thirty-three pensionnaires, whose fixed
salaries amount respectively to 261 ,OOO
francs and 1876, 400 francs a year. The
theater. besides the actors and actresses.
has twelve heads of departments, or Chefs
de SERVICE" neutrality-suspicious., two
prompters, two call-men. chef de la fig
uratiOn, a head property man, head
musician and four employees. The salaries
in this department amount to 10000 francs
year. The ''Magasin" has a personnel
composed of thirty-four persons-stage car
penters, costumers, dreSsmakers, tailors, |
upholsterers, dresSers, &c.-whose salaries
amount to Al 400 francs year. The audi |
forum. OF ia salle.' as 1t Is called, in con-
tradistinctfon to '1e theater," which means |
all that is behind the curtain, is managed
by seventy-one persons whose salaries |
make total Of "a 100 francs year. Next |
we find seventeen scene Shutters. whose sal
aries amount to 10000 francs, and ten /
"comparses," or "coryphees," male and fe- |
male, who are paid 1O.4O0 francs a year
The "fguration"-that is to say. the "su- |
pers''-varies in number according to the |
requirements of the program. The en-
ployes included in this summary are only /
such as are regularly attached to the |
theater.
Receipts and Expenses
Finally we have the non-active personnel,
the invalids and pensioners, namely, thir- |
teen societaires. male and female, whose
pensions amount to 78.416f. a year; 1--WE |
male and female. 15,8OOf.; |
one ex-general administrator. 4,0O0f.; seven |
employees. IL .925f.; twenty-five widows and |
daughters of artists and former employees
Il. 96Of.: in all. fifty-one pensioners. receIv-
ing annually 1913 1O1f. The total of the
active personnel Is 2O8 persons, receiving In /
all salaries to the amount Of tbs. 7O1f. The |
reader will remark that these figures are /
exclusive OF the division OF the profits, |
according to the system above explained. /
In 1885 the total receipts OF the Coincide /
were 2. 1871 R14f., tho expenses 1.006. OO0f. and
the share, or part de Docietatrov WD