Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-06

INM ~ ANeNAA
woodward have the assurance of the build
ers and contractors that the house will be
ready for occupancy before March l. and
the plan TO open on March 3 is now a
settled fact. The play is TO be "Arsene
Lupin,' a French drama of the "Raffles"
type that has been running I'm New York
and Chicago to great success. h New
York company will be sent here by MIR.
Charles Frohman especially for four per-
formances. This insures a first-class at
traction and means that the new theater
will begin it's career under the very best
Of conditions. 1t is the Intention Of the
management that IL shall always be a
flrst-class house in every regard, and that
its standard will never be lowered. Just
an incidental OF the contract may be cited
In support OF this. 1t is provided in the
lease that no advertisements shall appear
on the scene curtain. II was not difficult
to reach an agreement on this point, but
it serves to show the policy that win be
pursued at the theater. Another feature
that will be welcome will be the continue
don of the mail order system OF reserving
seats for performances at the Brandels.
.
Several years ago the Boyd was con-
Quoted on the plan Of selling first come,
first served" and the result was that long
lines of prospective buyers filled the street
in front of the theater whenever a strong
attraction was announced. On several oc-
casions e%nterprising spectators placed lines
Of messenger boys In front Of the box Of
flee window ~twenty-four hours ahead Of the
opening Of the sale, and all the best seats
were secured and later sold at a heavy
advance to patrons of the house. Manager
Burgess was very anxious to remedy this
condition, and eight years ago adopted the
plan, suggested by the editor Of The Bee,
that tickets be sold on mail orders. The
system was so simple that It soon became
very popular, and has been in vogue at the
Boyd and at the Willis Wood theater in
Kansas City, where It was adopted soon
after it had demonstrated it's usefulness
In Omaha. 1t simply means that those who
wish to attend an announced performance
at the Boyd may mail an order for seats,
enclosing check or money for payment.
These orders are filed In the order of re-
ceipt, and when the time comes for the
seats to go on sale, all mail orders are
first filled and the tickets sent TO the pur-
chasers. Whatever seats are left are then
placed on sale to the public. In effect 1t
amounts to standing in line at the ticket
window, but has none of the ~inconven-
fence, and the only people who can pos
sibly suffer by it are the late corners, and
they are late anyway and could not have
had any advantage even under the old
style. And it does away with the element
of speculation entirely. Nothing better
was ever offered to the public, nor it is
likely that the plan will be improved on.
The Dramatic Mirror in it's current issue
has the following warning to young folks
who are contemplating a stage career. AS
1t comes from the pen of one who is ia
miliar with conditions at the theater, and
who knows all the dangers and disap-
pointments that lie along the way, 1t is
worthy of careful consideration
If the young mel and the young women
who are invading the field of the theater
but knew the conditions in that field, they
would curb a vain ambition or direct 1t
into other channels.
THE influx of young persons is some
thing that means not only disaster to a
81 eat majority of the newcomers, but hard
ship to many worthy members of the pro-
fession that have served novitiates and de-
serve to succeed in a vocation for which
they nave established their fitness.
This has not been a good season for
the theater thus far, all thing considered,
although there is now promise of better
things for regular ventures; yet IL it had
been the best season in theatrical history
If there were a regular boom in all locall-
ties and every offering presented in the
theaters were coming m~oney-the fact that