The Pensacola journal., 1906-05-20
EVOLUTION OF
THEATRICAL
BUSINESS
Enormous Growth in Recent Years
eliminates in Gigantic
Combination.

The following interesting article
relative to the enormous growth of the
theatrical business appeared in re-
cent issue Of The Mobile Register:
The announcement of a threatrical
syndicate, composed of Klaw g. En-
LANCER. B. F. Kieth, E F. Albee, Kohl
& Castle, Morris Mayfield, and, pre-
sumably, Stair and Havland with cap
ital estimated at from thirty to fifty
million dollars. naturally calls atten-
ton to the enormous growth OF the
theatrical business within the memory
q theatre gOers not yet Of middle age.
In recent years we have had syndi-
Gates. controlling what are called cir
cults, and, by reason Of this control,
6ictating practically what shall be the
form o. amusement presented to the
public.
The history Of dramatic perform
ances may be divided roughly into
four periods: first. the period Of the
strOlling players; second, the period OF
the stock companies; third the period
Cf the private travelling companies;
anu, fourth, the period Of syndicate.
The Old Way.
In the first period, that covered a
long period Of time, players, IN groups
rlore or less numerous, wandered
from town to town, performing In
halls or extemporized theatres, or in
tenus. the performances ranging from
mouhtebank shows TO heavy tragedy.
In the second period. the players be-
came domesticated. Each town Of im-
portance had its stock company, To-
Gated in a specially constructed thea
tire, and performing series Of plays
curing the season. The manager con-
5nued in one place for the season, and
his company underwent but little
change. When the season closed in
Bne part Of the country, the whole es-
Enlistment would move to another
part, often at a considerable distance.
he needed variety in the entertain
neat was Afforded by the introduction
q star performers who travelled from
town 20 town, playing leading parts In
series, for engagements lasting from
one to three weeks, the local company
giving the requisite support.
The Change Came,
About 1860 a change set in, and
companies that had made successes
IN the big cities began to visit neigh
boring towns and cities, generally
headed BY one or more star perform
ers. The new fashion displaced the
cid In a very short time, and stock
companies disappeared everywhere,
the travelling companies taking their
places, and playing short engagements
often of not more than one night, in
the towns visited.
This new method. while entertaining
the public with greater variety than
had been offered before, and providing
as q rule much more finished perform
snces. had the drawback Of attracting
into the field more companies than
there was room for. A town that
could support q stock company for a
season Of ten or twelve weeks, was
called upon 10 Sive patronage to sew
eral companies playing simultaneous
" for as long q period, or perhaps
Longer. The result was that not a few
q these companies became bankrupt,
and the theatrical business, taken as a
whole, was full of uncertainty both for
the public and the companies. The
public could not tell whether the en-
Fsgement would be met, or whether, If
met, it would have merit The COM