River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-08-25
BARN STORMING BY BOAT.
Floating Theater on the Mississippi
River Gives Shows at All the
Smaller Towns.

vaudeville shows have for years nOat-
ed up and down the Mississippi, but
this season is said to be the first that a
genuine theatrical enterprise has tried
the same means of locomotion. The
was built last year, and though it is
plain, an effort was made to make it at
tractive and comfortab 3.
So now the hills along the OHIO and
Mississippi are echoing the N uslc OF q
large-voiced calliope. The instrument,
connected with the steam pipe Of tug
boat, is turned loose upon approaching
any of the scores of towns whose bill
boards announce that the dramatic com
pany is about to give its powerful and
thrilling performances.
The Mississippi steamboat whistle is
unique and startling, but it plays Sec
ond fiddle to the novel and fascinating
calliope, which never fails to bring a
crowd to the bank. But as the bout
nears the landing the many-toned in
strument subsidies, the brass band
strikes up, the crowd increases and there
is hustle and excitement The great drs-
matte company has arrived.
Behind the tugboat is large, two
stored barge, the floating home of the
drama. 1t is gay with bunting, and the
name Of the company extends in letters
two feet high from stem to stern.
The deckhands make fast to the shore
with degree of skill and alacrity
worthy of special mention, for they are
amateurs in that line. They will appear
later in the toggery Of the stage, facing
the footlights, for their real business is
to split the ears of the groundlings.
The ticket Office opens and the treas
urer is ready for business. You may
step into the auditorium and select your
seats.
1t is we'll lighted and we'll ventilated
from windows on both sides of the boat.
Every one may have a seat in regula-
ton theater chair There are seats for
about 900. A double tier of boxes, IL
in all, provides special accommodations.
The snug little stage, about 80 feet
square, has a good assortment of bright
scvenery.
1t takes more than 80 persons to run
the floating theater, and nearly all of
them are utilized behind the scenes. If
the cook, the engineer and the stoker
cannot act they can at least shift seem
cry, attend to properties, swell the ranks
of the battling armies and the fiery mob
and howl when volumes of noise is the
proper thing.
NhA nv hoc NYIx fyxY0 or
pieces in it's reportory. The actors are
not lacking in experience or talent
and many land show would suffer by
comparison with their work. The pub
lie that patronizes them gets it's money s
worth.
When the ice broke up in the Ohio
last spring the business season for the
floating theater began. All the small
towns along the river heard the CALI
ope, but it wasted no breath on Cincin-
natl or Louisville. The big barge
doesn't even stop to take look at such
show-infested places.
The busy tugboat pulled away up the
Mississippi to the mouth of the Illinois
and then up that stream to La Sale. 1t
is now on the lower Mississippi, show
ing from one to three or four times at
each landing place
The company sleeps, eats and acts on
board The theater now ties up at
towns only ten of Is miles apart and now
steams for day between shows. twill
descend the river nearly to New Orleans
and then retrace the route. The actors
will strut their little stage nearly every
night till they reach winter quarters in
Pittsburg.