Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03

since the stage offers society women oppor-
tunites for observing the latest styles. This
situation exists largely on the French stage.
The most disastrous thing that ConfrOntS
the young actor or actress is the supplying OF
a wardrobe. the furnishing of services free
for from three to five weeks rehearsal. and
then being compelled to pay ones fare home
IN case of the disarmament of the company
after few weeks tour. These chances are
inevitable But this class of enterprise has
been largely eliminated by the present meth
DDS OF business The companies in which the
actor gets his best experience are those that
are conducted on purely business principles.
Managers. on account of the purely commercial
character of their enterprises. are bound to
adopt measures and discipline that, as in the
army. will keep their people IN their proper
places Thus. fines are imposed upon those
who break the rules. either on the stage off.
for lack of attention to business. lateness in
attendance at performances or rehearsals and
the like
The Work Is Attractive
THE young actor will find his or her work
attractive and Illuminating At the start
the author frequently reads his play to the
company giving his ideas of the conception
of the role The stage manager conducts re-
hearsals. sympathetcally regarding the au-
thors demands and the actors capabilities
and helping the aspirant to develop the part
intrusted to him. The rehearsals will be
found basis of human interest. since the play
is supposed to embody the manifestation of
emotion, action under the impulse of feeling.
speech. manner. and every suggestion that will
make the characters sound and logical.
The theater is business proposition from
box office to stage door The average cost of
production of a modern four-act play runs
from ten thousand to thirty thousand dollars.
1t takes a long time to earn back this outlay.
because the current expenses must also be
reckoned with. A direct failure means not
h,,%
by week in the maintenance of company and
theater, of advertising. and the like. So a
loss. before a play can be taken from the stage.
may easily run up to fifty thousand dollars.
On the other hand. genuine success.
that means a long run in New York and on
tour for two or three years, may produce a
profit of from forty thousand to one hundred
and fifty thousand dollars for the metropolitan
company. while each of the three or four sec
ondary companies sent out may add from
seventy five thousand to one hundred thousand
dollars year to the profits of the parent or
ganization. A first class musical production
will easily cost thirty thousand dollars. while
many can be produced for half that amount.
But there many preliminary expenses
which begin months ahead of the first per-
Torrance which must be considered. So vast
IS the expense of musical enterprise it has been
stated that although the Metropolitan Opera
House plays to about fifty thousand dollars a
week, expenses were SO great this last season
that the directors making no money.
This. however, presents an extreme case of
costly management.
Hope for the Classics
TAKING everything into consideration. how
ever. there is every reason to hope that
out of the great variety of entertainment that
has relegated the legitimate drama to the posi-
ton of an ad junct to the stage the old classic
will emerge in its former glory. Every farmer
boy that attends the musical comedy in his
neighboring town is potential first nighter at
the Metropolitan: every village clerk, through
the benefcence of the trolley line may be-
come lover of Shakespeare.
The drama is. after all. the real thing in the
theater. But the supply of dramatic material
of late years has not been equal to the demand.
l myself read many plays every week. and
while l have been doing this for years | am
still eagerly looking forward to the new man
that will help the existing authors to build up
the American drama and to hold it as sound
institution: France excels in this; but in
France subjects for the stage are such as
would be tabooed in this country. Our
people want sound. clean, wholesome drama.
and the history of the successful play in the
United States will always be the history of rha