The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-28
mo new THEATER
ON SIXTH STREET
THEATRIuAN SITUATION IN MIN.
NEAPoLIs TAKES NEW ASPECT.
international Theatrical Company,
Which Now Operates the Lyceum,
Will Book for the Unique Also Dick
erris Wroth Over Statement that He
Would Head Stock Company at Ly-
ceum,

the day in Minneapolis. For some time
the various theatrical interests Of the
city have been at work on number OF
plots and counterplots that have been
closed today; AS a result the In,
have a foothold in Minneapolis. Here.
after the International will book for
the Unique theater and will be repre-
se'nted here by that house. With the
Unique playing its attractions, the In
ternational company will abandon it's
plan Of building new house on Sixth
street near Hennepin, which it an
nonnced short time ago.
The International now controls and
operates the Lyceum theater, which,
with the Unique, gives It a monopoly
the city. It has, been announced that
vile and substitute stock, with Dick
Ferris at the helm. Mr.. Ferris offers
vigorous denial, and today issues a
statement to the effect that the Inter
national is planning to make stock Of
the success which he made Of the Ly-
ceum Mr.. Ferris says his offers have
been turned down and that the Inter:
its own IL. ''s
Under the lease Of the International
company, it is bound to play vaudeville
until March l, six months from the
date Of the lease. The owners of the
ra}eeSo +bs o,oT n hold the poWer ts
It is announced on good authority that
could put stock in the Lyceum pho
vided Mr.. Ferris had charge. -
No New Vaudeville House.
Cd
The agreement whereby. the Interna.
tional takes the UNIQUE will perma-
| nently dispose of all plans for a new
| vaudeville house for the present. The
agreement has six years to run and
binds the International company to the
Unique for that time. The negotia-
on % several Do occasions, a al and i'o we're a1 Only
closed when it was definitely shown
that the Unique owners had the drop
on the situation and refused to be
scared by the bluff about new house.
| The Unique management announced
| vaudeville it would play stock and
vaudeville, and if beaten again, would
turn to the cafe business, with music
and vaudeville gratis: All other the.
atrical interests were more or less
interests. : -
Dick Ferris was angry today over the
announcement that he will take thu
Lyceum again. ~ have tried to secure
the house, with Mr. stafford's help, and
ternational company he said. "Wher
1 could get no reply to written pro
posals sent a representative, who was
told there was nothing doing. / would
take the Lyceum, but cannot get It..
"I shall run down every rumor to the
play stock, and if T. ind that any at
tempt is being made to make capital Of
my name in Minneapolis and the popu
larity my company enjoyed here there
will be more business for the lawyers
shall be in Minneapolis for a sprina
and summer engagement next year 81
one OF the local theaters, and will bring
with me the strongest company I ever
Yet Another eFature. ~.
| There is yet another feature of thu
local fight. The International com
pany in securing the Unique has com
country from east to west and vii
have nearly a monopoly on the 10-2(
cent business: Negotiations are now OF
for St Paul site. with J. E. Rogers OF
the Unique, who fortified himself will
nearly every suitable site IN st. Paul
Representatives Of the Internationa
and Orpheum circuits have been in tn,
city and there have been some confer
ences. ~
The Orpheum, it is said, is trying t,
keep the international out of it's east
ern territory. From Portland, Ore.
comes the report that the Internationa
interests on the coast and the Orpheun
are getting together and are plannin,
a vaudeville syndicate, the Orpheum. t
& hold the high-price business and tn
International the other. 1t is said tina
the plan is to bring in exclusive Euro
pean and American acts, play them thr,
on the higher circuit one year and bac]
on the lower-priced circuit the next. L
this way two-year bookings can be Of
fered to artists. With such an organ
ization there would be little hope fo
ines' mos @o as the Combine y would be u able t
! offer far more than could be expecte,
z elsewhere ~ 60 p.