Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03
The Stage as a Field of Endeavor
Continued 6oypo
Continued from page f

~" PH5e
and managers alike ena bling the latter to
select pupils for important parts in their
travelling companies at salaries that make it
possible to maintain the organizations.
Good Salaries Are Paid
NATURALLY the demand for la Dor in this
field has wonderfully increased the pay
of those that toll in it. Twenty years ago
the leading man or woman averaged one hun
dred and fifty dollars a week, furnishing his
her costume. The pay of other performers
ranged from thirty to hundred and twenty
five dollars leading man is capable
of earning from two hundred to five hundred
dollars week: leading woman nearly as
much Other salaries are graded in proper
ton. An actor or actress of such Importance
however, is frequently engaged as star. with a
share in the profits. Thus, a popular artist
notably woman. may earn from twelve thou
sand to twenty-five thousand dollars a season
according to the value of her work. There
have been cases where women stars have
earned from sixty thousand to seventy-five
thousand dollars year for two and three
years with the same play.
In the musical comedies. a popular prirna
donna may earn quite as much; but she must
be able to appear we'll and sing and dance and
act far beyond the ordinary. The average
chorus girl earns from eighteen to twenty-five
dollars week From the ranks of these per-
formers many musical artists have developed
though the ordinary girl shows small ambition
beyond the perfunctory performance of her
duty Personal charm counts for much here
and. while 1t is unusual, it IS not extraordinary
for the chorus girl to blossom into a three
hundred-dollar a week prima donna. From
these humble ranks came Edna May. who cap
tured London. Others, who reached less i'm
portant points in their artistic careers. made
titled marriages and became proud mothers
of members of the House of Lords
In grand opera. salaries range from fifty
dollars to twenty-five hundred dollars night.
these artists being usually guaranteed from
thirty to forty performances during the season.
Thus. man like Caruso may earn a hundred
thousand dollars in short season. while such
songbirds Sembrich. Tetrazzini. Emma
Eames. Nordica Schumann- Heink, Gadski,
and Others of this class will not fall far be-
hind.
Certainly thrift is not SO necessary with the
girl or thirty -doar a week actor. Transporter
ton is furnished by the management; but
employees must board themselves. In the
cities and larger towns they are able to live at
reasonable rates at theatrical boarding houses.
| once knew an actor who boarded for eight
dollars a week through the season. A few
years later his living expenses for the same
period on the road were seven thousand dol
lars-he had become a star Women find it
less difficult to live economically than do
men; for they are more thrifty: and fire.
quently save goodly sums to bridge them over
the vacation period
Abroad, thrift is more systematically prac-
tised than here. In England actors fire.
quently live in lodging houses. They buy
their own provisions and their landladies do
the cooking and serving The latter worthless
usually manage to shave off enough of the
food which they are preparing to pay for
their trouble. 1t is told of thrifty actor that.
being aware of this propensity of his landlady.
he carefully numbered the Jumps of sugar in
his cupboard and then startled the denizens
of the kitchen on his return home by roaring
over the baluster, IL say. Mrs. Clark. where's
lump twenty-four?"
The question of costumes is very impor
tant one in the production of plays In the
dramatic field women furnish their own dresses:
but this is taken into consideration when their
contracts are made and their salaries fixed. In
musical comedies costumes are always fur
nished by the management from the chorus
girl up. Even in productions of the drama,
some. though few, managers sometimes insist
upon furnishing the costumes for all the
women in their employ, in order that these
shall agree with the best taste in fashion.