Omaha daily bee., 1909-10-31
BUSINESS END OF THEATERS
What the Country Pays for Domestic
Education and Amusement.
TOTAL AWAY UP IN THE MILLIONS
Informing Figures on stellar SAL
aries, Staging Plays, Travelling
Expenses, Rentals and
Profits.

There is a vast deal Of talk about art
for arts sake in connection with the
theater. It's a fine notion. It always has
been. 1t probably began with the institu-
ton itself and will last quite as long. II
will be solved-some time-when we all are
agreed what art really is. Long before
that, artistic plays will pay better than
punk drama. In the meantime 1t is costing
the public a whole lot for It's dramatic ed
ucation-which is as It should be, that It
may appreciate culture at the proper value.
1t costs upward Of SlOO,OOO,0O a year to
conduct the theaters in this country, and
to produce the attractions that are played
in them-and, mind you, this doesn't in
clude the profit which would add at least
$40, 900, 900 more. OF the total, about t40,OO0,-
900 represents rental charges, while &2O,OOO,-
900 is paid TO the actors In salaries. One
doesn't hear much about these figures
while the cost Of the productions Is heralded
with great acclaim, despite the fact that
s2.O0o, 900 a year will cover this. The oper-
ating cost OF the theaters, the travelling
expenses of the companies, advertising,
royalties to authors, salaries Of employees
other than actors, office expenses and the
many incidental charges easily bring the
total up to the round 500, 900, 900.
There are about 1900 recognized theaters,
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that are used for other purposes as well,
and, on an average, about LOO companies
on the road or playing in stock.
Rentals Come High,
Suppose we first consider the theater IT.
self. OF course the biggest charge is the
rental, the company owns the
land-the interest on the investment, which
amounts to the same thing. The time was
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tation of the theater and the profit it
made as a theatrical enterprise. Nowadays
1t is purely a real estate proposition. AS a
rule, the best theater site is one Of the
best sites in a rental district. The land
has a certain earning capacity, estimated
on the basis of the klnd OF building that
will bring in the largest revenue. This
earning capacity of the land, irrespective
Of the value of the theater as a theater,
fixes the rental. The Shuberts, for in
stance. maintain a real estate department
with several experts, whose business It is
to determine the value Of theater sites,
present and prospective, and to keep track
of all the leases in various cities. A third
class theater on a first-class site must
pay the rental Of a first-class theater
Many houses are operated under old
leases, made when the theater itself was
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usually very low. The renewals always
see a big advance. For instance the
Broadway theater, which is at Forty-first
street in New York, was leased for ten
years at a rental OF $40, 700. This year the
} new lessees are paying $4,000 q year. The
Empire theater, which Is almost across
the street. was leased for $4,000 until re-
Gently, when the rental was jumped to
$4,000 a year. The New York theater rents
for $4,000 and the Criterion for 185, 900 a
year, both being under one roof, but under
different management Recently $3.50, 900
was refused for the site. no account being
taken of the building, which cost consid-
erably more than 1900. OO0. There are first
class theaters in New York which still rent
for as little as $4,000. -. under old leases.
In Chicago, the Colonial theateP rents for
$4,000, and the Forrest theater in Phila-
> delphia commands the same amount. In
Boston, the range is from $50. 900 to $4,000.
In Cincinnati. Detroit and st. Louis from
$4,000 to $4,000 q year-and so it goes.
Cost Of Operation.
In addition to the retnal, the cost of OPP
Grating a theater is heavy. In New York,
3 in the best theaters. the number Of en-
/ ployes will average about sixty, and this
holds good in other large places for those
, that charge the maximum prices. The or
5 chestrR Of ten costs about $500 a week.
under the union scale. As many ushers
are necessary. Then there are ticket-tak-
Lers, porters, carriage men, watohrnen,
lwatsrboys, eloakroom attendants, maids
cleaners, engineers and firemen. Back OF
the footlights are the stage manager, car
pentsr. s-lectricians-ths head ones gets 81
"a week-six men in the nies and as many
in the galleries, to say nothing OF the
grips and handlers. For some heavy pro
> auctions, as many as slightly stage hands
may be required for the scenery and prop
critics. The house manag gets from so
to S25 a week, but he never seems a
prosperous as the treasurer. who get
about $50, and his assistant, whose salary
is S25 a week.
The New Amsterdam theater In New
York, which Is conducted on a more elab
crate scale than any other, has sixty-foul
employees in the front OF the house and
forty on the stage. To run a theater Hkl
this and the Empire and the Knicker
booker, it costs about $500 a week. Othe
first class theaters, which nave not 81
heavy a rental charge, grade down to $3.50
a week. Even a good theatsr where onll
one-night stands are played can't be rui
for less than $500 a week, even II the man
agsr does most Of the work himself an,
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passes. In New York, the fixed advertis
ing expense to be met by the theater 4
about 800 a week. But 1t usually amounts
TO much more han THAI because of "extri
display" the cost OF which is shared b!
? the manager of the company. And the an
nual bill for repairs Is very large, the con
slant hard usage In transit compelling fire.
quent renewals.
side Rake-Offs.
The theater has a source Of income n
addition 70 the sale Of tickets. A politician
might call It honest graft-the sale Of priv
leges. Theaters like the Empire, Knioker
booker. Hudson and New Amsterdam no
only get their programs free, but the pub
fishers pay about 5000 a year for the priv
ilege OF providing them, making thei
profit out Of the advertising pages. Othe
first class theaters receive as little as s., %
a year. Slot devices, which yield opsry
glasses, or candy, TO your dime are wort
from $50 TO $40 a week 10 the theater, o.
the basis Of an equal division between 1
and the owners.
Then there is the rakeoff on the ticket
furnished TO the agencies which are usual
established in hotels. In the bic cities
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