The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-02-21
TRY 1T ON TOPEKA.
Another Bunco Game on Theatre
Goers Is Attempted.

A new graft" has been discovered
in the theatrical business and during
the season just drawing to a close it
has been worked with frequency.
The graft is nothing more or less
than misrepresentation in regard to
booking two shows at the same
theatre FOR the same day.
The graft works with srnoothness
IN cities where the public has not been
educated to its cunning. 1t is worked
by organizing a theatrical company
and drilling the players in two or
more plays Usually very cheap pro-
auctions are selected. Productions
such as are used by week stand
repertoire companies.
The tour is booked. and the COM
pany hires two advance men. These
advance men travel together and
reach every city included in the
itinerary booked by the company at
the same time. But the public knows
nOtnlng or this.
One of the advance men represents
himself as the representative of one
OF the plays put on by the company
and the other man pretends to be the
representative of the other play. The
arrangement is understood by the
managers of the theaters in the va
rious towns, but the public is not let
in on the inside in regard to the real
facts.
When the two advance men reach
each particular town they call in the
reporters for the newspapers, and give
an exhibition quarrel in which the
manager of the theater becomes in
volved. The quarrel Will last hours if
necessary to impress the reporters
with tho seriousness of the situation.
Each of the advance men claim that
his show will be given on the date set
man claims that he was booked to
play that theater the same date and
he refuses to surrender his rights in
the matter. They tell the newspaper
L Il
booking agency, and the two men
threaten each other with fnjunctions,
and violence, and anything else that
might prove effective looking in print.
The story looks good to the report
ers who do not know they are being
worked, and they rush back to the Of
fee, write a big story about the compli-
cation. The story usually gets big
headlines and top of the column posi-
tor
The next issue Of the paper will us
usually contain a story explaining how
the matter was compromised by an
agreement made between the advance
managers that both shows will be Civ
en-, one right after the other; that both
shows may be seen for the price of a
single admission and that the price
charged will be the regular schedule of
prices of the best of the two shows
The theatergoing public is deceived
into believing that they will get a bar
gain inasmuch as they will get to see
TWO companies TOT the price OF one.
As a matter of fact they learn later to
their sorrow and chagrin that bothi
shows are played by a single company
and that neither show is of any partic-
1lar merit, and that they have paid an
high price for the quality
Of show delivered.
There are cases, however, where real
mistakes are made in booking shows
and where 1T actually occurs that two
are actually booked to the
same town on the same date. Such in
stances are rare. The scheme furnishes !
an opportunity, however, for a clever
plan to deceive the public, and in
watching the papers from all parts of
he country the past season it has been
earned that the scheme is being work |
I'd by a good many companies.
It isn't often that a company will try
% work that game in a town as large
IS Topeka. When a company is booked |
nto a town where it is not believed the
people will swallow the mistake in |
yarn or where for any reason |
t is not believed the graft will work, |
Ill that is necessary is to simply put
lp the billboard paper for but one of
he shows of the two which the COM |
Ill,