The sun., 1909-02-07
BAD SIDE or THE ACTOR'S JOB.
Much Unpaid For Work and Many Minor
Expenses.

In a newly imported musical comedy
the chief comedian soliloquizes for
time on the advantages OF n stage careeI
and concludes:
1--we always thought I'd like to be al
frightfully."
That isn't the only disadvantage. Take
the question of .rehearsals and go th'
round OF half dozen actors OF the medic
ere but necessary kind and listen to the
hard luck stories. Any show means al
least three weeks of rehearsing mos
cases very much more.
For these weeks there is no pay and II
may be that after the four. six or eight
weeks OF unpaid worx the production
will fail in week fail perhaps IL the mana
ger is untristworthy, without salaries
for even that week,
This fate doesn't always affect only
the actors Of lesser class. One OF the best
known of American character actors, a
man who has had prominent parts in a
number of successes, spent practically
an entire winter in unpaid rehearsing
some two or three years ago. He ap-
peared in four successive productions,
each elaborate but each destined 10 min
Of not more than two weeks. III his salary
had been $50 week he could not have
earned much over 5000 or $3.50 for that
seasons work-and there are flfty-two
weeks of board to be'paid in the actors
year as well as in that of the humble
persons who pay 81 to watch him.
Another young English actor who came
to this country some years ago rehearsed
in one season some fourteen weeks with
three plays, each OF which was 9, complete
failure. lie got something like three
weeks pay for that winter. IN addition
he had the extra good luck to see . play
Of his own. In which, however, he did not
appear, open on Monday and close on
Wednesday OF the same week.
In fact an actor getting, say, $50 week,
which seems a good salary 10 the clerk
at s25 a week. counts himself very lucky
II he works forty weeks year. Indeed
II he works thirty he is well of; and the
$50 must spread over year!
Clothes are another problem. The
general custom Of the business is that
the manager shall provide only costumes
that is anything that is not modern dress,
Suppose a production calls. as is not un-
for a business suit, frock coat
and a suit OF evening clothes. All or part
Of these may have to be purchased new,
for shabbiness Is a cardinal offence. In
one musical play produced not long ago
the juvenile is called on to appear in the
first act in suit Of white fannels, useful
garments for a sometimes needy actor.
Nevertheless they re not a costume and he
must buy them himself.
The women OF the chorus are In even a
worse fix, for their salaries are smaller
to begin with-s2O week in New York
and s25 on the road being large. In fact
SIS and 500 Is all that some of the most
liberal of the managers give.
These young women. however, have
to buy their shoes and stockings and often
many other things. Wigs for example
are an added expense in some houses.
II Is told OF one famous Broadway theatre
that at the start of an all season run each
chorus girl was in debt TO the manage
ment 500 In another case high boots at
$40 a pair were ordered for particular
song and charged to the women singers
The song was dropped after one act
These are unusual examples. but 1t is not
for IS a week to be deducted from
the $50 pay for period OF three, four and
even five weeks.
Women principals sometimes face
heavy bills for their dresses,
all of which, except costumes. they pro-
vide for themselves. and even a salary
high In the three figures isn't available
for a few weeks il the dressmaker's bills
are to-be paid.